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Dual centres of power not to anyone’s advantage: J&K CM Omar Abdullah
During a media interaction in Srinagar, the chief minister said while there have been “differences of opinion on some issues”, there was no confrontation with the Raj Bhavan.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the hybrid model of governance in the Union Territory is not to anyone’s advantage and systems work better when there is single centre of command.
“Obviously, dual centres of power are not to anyone’s advantage. If dual centres were effective tools of governance, you would see them everywhere,” Abdullah said at a press interaction at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar.
On the hybrid model of governance in the UT, he said while there have been “differences of opinion on some issues”, there was no confrontation with the Raj Bhawan. “Systems work better when there is a single centre of command. For the UT, the dual centres of command are inbuilt. There have been differences of opinion on some issues, but not on the scale on which is being speculated. Such reports are just a figment of imagination,” he said.
Referring to the role of lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha in the UT and his own as CM, Abdullah said the past two months since he took charge have been a learning experience “for understanding where our authority begins and where it ends.”
Since Abdullah took charge on October 16, there have been two issues where the elected government and LG have not been on the same page. A political row erupted earlier this week when the National Conference and the CPI(M) criticised the lieutenant governor’s decision not to include July 13 (Martyrs’ Day) and December 5 (the birth anniversary of NC founder Sheikh Abdullah) as official holidays. “We would have liked to have (the two) holidays because it is a part of emotional attachment we have and also a part of J&K’s history,” he said.
The LG’s recent decision to grant extension to the vice-chancellors of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) and University of Jammu allegedly without consulting the CM raised hackles. The continuity of the J&K advocate general also became a matter of friction between the two.
Abdullah said that the elected government has started the exercise of framing business rules. “We are putting in place business rules so that if there is any uncertainty or any clarity required, it will be built into the system. T e draft is being shared with legal experts,” he said.
Some promises need statehood
Abdullah said that his NC-Congress government has started work on poll promises and the fulfillment of some of them needed the restoration of statehood. “We hope that J&K being a UT is a temporary phase. People participated wholeheartedly in October elections and the country’s leadership hailed that. We are hopeful that the biggest promise of statehood by the central leadership is fulfilled,” he said.
“Around a year ago, the Centre had said in the Supreme Court that the statehood will be restored as soon as possible. I believe one year is enough time since then,” he said.
On job reservation
Asked about his party MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi’s protest over the issue of reservation, Abdullah said the National Conference (NC) is a democracy and anyone has the right to speak.
“The NC was often accused of being a family party. But we have always said that we are a democracy and everyone has a right to speak. Besides (before government formation), the protest was considered unlawful here,” he said.
“As far as reservation is concerned, I told the delegates that the cabinet sub-committee has been framed,” the chief minister said while stating that a parallel high court hearing is underway.
Abdullah said that the party expected that Mehdi, the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, would hold a similar protest for the restoration of statehood in Parliament as well.
Abdullah, however, said while we can fight the reserved and open category fight, “but first we have to save our jobs”. “We will have to save our jobs and land and then fight over the reservation issue,” he said. “The fear is what will be done when people from outside start taking jobs while we keep fighting over open and reserved issues,” he said.
PM assured cooperation
Abdullah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah have assured him of cooperation and respect for the mandate of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“I have been in power for over two months. And there is no pressure from any quarter, neither from the Prime Minister nor home minister or from any BJP leader or Raj Bhawan to change our thinking or statements. From Day 1, the PM or HM have said that people have brought you to power and put the BJP in the opposition. Neither will you be destabilised nor will your government be weakened. The cooperation we gave to the LG, the same will be extended to you. We will respect the mandate of the people of J&K,” he said, quoting the PM.
Free power for metered areas
Abdullah said that the government would be rolling out its promise of free 200 units of power in March-April in areas where meters are installed.
“As far as metering is concerned, our AT&C (aggregate and commercial) losses are more than 50%. Our attempt should be to bring AT&C losses to below 30%,” he said.
“The promise of giving 200 units of free electricity will be fulfilled when meters are installed. When we roll out this scheme in March, only those areas will benefit where meters are installed,” he said.
“Metering is an ongoing process and is part of the Government of India scheme. The more metering happens, the less pilferage there will be,” he said.
He said that as against last year, this year the government is providing more electricity to people. “But still there is a need for cuts. If we provide unrestricted power, the demand is more than the load we provide. So far, we are providing 1,700-1,800MW,” he said.
