Jammu, March 4
Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary took a strong stance against former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's comments regarding the region's current political situation.
Ahead of the ongoing budget session of the J&K Assembly, Choudhary responded sharply to Mufti's remarks, stating, "Mehbooba Mufti can say anything because she is the reason for the destruction of J&K. If J&K has lost its statehood and special status, it is because of her."
Choudhary went on to assert that the current government does not need lessons from Mufti, stating, "We are answerable to the people who voted for us, not to her."
He also referred to a controversial incident when Mufti responded dismissively to concerns about children's safety and the use of pellet guns.
"She is the same Mehbooba, when people used to ask questions, that children are being discriminated against and pellet guns are being fired, she replied that did the children want to buy milk and toffee from the camps?" Choudhary recalled.
Meanwhile, People's Democratic Party MLA Waheed Para on Tuesday said that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's address was a routine document of the LG which lacks serious issues of Jammu and Kashmir, including unemployment, job guarantees act and others.
Speaking to the media, Waheed Para emphasized that LG's first address initially reflected the vision of the J-K government.
"After a long time, a government has been formed in J-K; we had hopes that as per the aspirations of the people, the promises NC had made to people in its manifesto, it would be reflected in their vision document. Unfortunately, this looks like a routine document of LG, which is being presented for the last five years. Unemployment, job guarantees act, political prisoners, nothing was spoken on those issues," he said.
"This was a very disappointing document that the LG read yesterday. We hoped that the political issues of J-K would be mentioned," Para added.
LG Sinha addressed the inaugural session of the J-K Legislative Assembly's Budget Session on Monday.
Manoj Sinha said that his government is steadfast in its commitment to the Union Territory's statehood and is actively engaging with all stakeholders to facilitate this process.
He emphasized that the budget represents a new era of participatory governance, ensuring that the need and aspirations of the common people remain at the heart of policy making.
- ANI