‘Pak pushing foreign terrorists’
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 13: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today said this is for the first time in 50 years that elections are being held for the Legislative Assembly for a five year term.
Speaking to a national news channel in Srinagar, he said during emergency, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi raised the tenure of Parliament from five years to six years. Subsequently, the Assemblies also increased their term to six years.
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“Later, the term was reversed to five years of Lok Sabha as well as Assemblies but Jammu and Kashmir continued to have six years tenure. Term of the J&K Assembly was reduced to five years on August 5, 2019 under Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act. And now this is after 50 years that elections to the J&K Assembly are being held for five years,” Sinha said.
Referring to powers given to the Lieutenant Governor, Sinha said the new Government will have his 100 percent support if their agenda is peace, prosperity and development. “However, if their agenda is something else, I will have to use my Constitutional powers,” he added.
He reiterated that powers conferred upon the Lieutenant Governor are vested with all LGs of the Union Territories. The powers existed in Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act and only a notification was issued recently.
“If powers were to be increased, it has to be done through the Parliament,” Sinha said.
He said the terrorists will be sent where they should be in next three to four months.
“The neighbor (Pakistan) was frustrated due to conduct of peaceful Parliamentary elections in Jammu and Kashmir. They are also facing internal problems and financial crunch and have pushed foreign terrorists to both Jammu and Kashmir regions.
“As Jammu region had turned peaceful, security forces were removed from many areas but they are now again taking positions. Village Defence Guards (VDGs) have also been activated,” he said.
Asserting that he has no doubts about bravery of security forces, the Lieutenant Governor said the terrorists will be sent where they should be. People of Jammu never supported militancy and separatism, he added.
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