‘People now live according to will’
Calls for united fight against divisive forces
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Oct 28: Lt Governor Manoj Sinha today stressed for a united fight against the divisive forces and said that maintaining peace in the family of India is the responsibility of everyone.
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Addressing religious leaders at SKICC here during Sadbhavna event, the LG said that if the people of the country stand united against such forces, no one can divide them.
“We need to get together to fight against the forces who try to divide us, and if we stay united under the shadow of India, no one can divide us. We are all one, irrespective of religion or caste, and 1.45 crore people of Jammu and Kashmir are a family, and likewise, the 140 crores people of India are the family of India, and maintaining peace in this family is the responsibility of everyone,” he said.
Sinha said that religious politics to stoke feelings of hatred among people is not in the interest of the country. “If we understood these things as responsible citizens, we would achieve our goal successfully,” he said.
The LG assured the leaders that no Government decision would be against the interests of the people. “There is no need to go astray, and I want to assure you that no Government decision would be against the interests of the people. Some people sometimes spread rumours about religious freedom, as there is more scope to sway people there,” he said.
Sinha said that people should respect all religions and urged the leaders not to come under any influence. “To hurt anyone’s religious sentiments is impossible as long as I am here. I do not want to waste time talking about the plight of people in the neighbouring country. Leave the development; people there are struggling to get rice and bread,” he said.
The LG said that Jammu and Kashmir has achieved great heights in several sectors during last few years. “The Indian Government issues rankings, and if we see Jammu and Kashmir in any ranking, its performance is impressive. If we talk about online services, Jammu and Kashmir is at the top. Around 90 percent of Public Service Guarantee Act services have been put under part two of the escalation mode, and those services will be available on time,” he added.
Taking a dig at certain political parties, Sinha said that instead of successful Muslims, many people have an interest in their impoverishment which is not good for the country.
“We should uplift and empower minorities, whether they are Muslims, Sikhs or Parsis, for the welfare of the country. This is a dangerous conspiracy going on, and I want the religious leaders here to save the country from it. If we are successful, the day is not far when we will become the 5th biggest economy in the world, and we even have the potential to become the third biggest economy in the world. Every citizen of the country has to play a role in developing India, and I want the contribution of Jammu and Kashmir to be no less than that of any other State in this endeavour,” he said.
Without naming the political parties, the LG said that money allocated prior to 2014 by the Centre was not utilised properly.
“It is a fact that Jammu and Kashmir did not receive less money than any other State in the country, and if I talk about statistics before 2014, the money allocated per individual was higher than in other States of the country. I am not pointing fingers at anyone, but it is a fact that the situation cannot be improved here. There are a lot of Muslims who have been given 5 marlas of land to build their homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana,” he said.
Singh said that for the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir 21, 000 jobs were provided last year.
“One of the biggest problems that people share is unemployment. There are around 4.8 lakh Government jobs available here. Last year, nearly 21,000 jobs were given to people here, and I would like to ask my journalist friends to take the statistics from 1947 and tell me a single year in which 20,000 jobs were given. But I understand that everyone cannot be provided with Government jobs, neither here nor in any part of the world. So, we are working hard to promote self-employment,” he said.
The LG said that with the support of the people, the situation has changed to a greater extent in Kashmir, and there is a change in the mindset of the people as well. “People actually want peace to prevail here, and I think whether it is goodwill or development, it is only possible when there is peace in a region. If people think we can implement goodwill and development without peace here, I think those people are dreaming,” he said.
Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has played an important role in bringing peace to Jammu and Kashmir.
“For some years, the time of peace and love has returned, and not because of politics. I want to tell this with full responsibility; the current Prime Minister of India has played the most important role in this,” he said.
The LG said that 2-3 things are apparent which the common people also notice have changed in Kashmir during last few years.
“First are the strikes, which used to happen here every now and then, stretching to nearly over hundreds of days every year, during which the schools and colleges were shut and businesses and trade were closed. Jammu and Kashmir has got rid of it completely,” he said.
“The second is that stone-pelting has become history in Kashmir. The third thing I would like to mention is that the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir live according to their will and independently, without any fear,” he added.
Sinha said that the old days have come back, and in order for these to remain, the goodwill and unity that have been the tradition need to be upheld. “Every citizen of Kashmir should work towards the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir and the country,” he added.
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