Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha on Thursday slammed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and MLAs for staying away from an event commemorating the 'Foundation Day' of the Union Territory.
Addressing a gathering at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on the banks of Dal Lake, he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had promised restoration of statehood at an appropriate time.
“Politicians who took oaths on the Indian Constitution have shown duplicity standards by staying away from the UT foundation day. The reality is that Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory right now. Once statehood is restored, we will celebrate it as well,” he said, drawing applause from the audience comprising officers of the Union Territory.
This is the first direct formal response from LG Sinha since Omar Abdullah's government assumed the charge on October 16.
Barring BJP politicians, including Rajya Sabha MP Gulam Ali, legislators and political parties boycotted the event. Both the National Conference and Congress legislators had decided to boycott the UT Foundation Day event.
October 31 is being observed as 'UT Foundation Day' by the LG administration. Besides the bureaucrats, the invitations have been sent to the new legislators of the National Conference and Congress.
However, the NC and Congress legislators said they will not be attending the event they believe is a “black day” in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Are we here to celebrate the downgrading of a state when the people voted us for restoration of statehood?" a Congress legislator told ETV Bharat on Wednesday.
Last year, the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir observed the day as “black day” and protested in Kashmir and Jammu cities. The protests were led by then Congress J&K president Viqar Rasool Wani in Srinagar and working president Raman Bhalla in Jammu.
The National Conference Spokesperson, Imran Nabi, had said that the NC legislators may have been invited, but none from the party will attend the function.
"How would we go when we are against the decision of downgrading Jammu and Kashmir into a union territory and have opposed it from day one? The NC-led government also passed a resolution for restoration of full statehood in its first cabinet sitting," he added.
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