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The transfers are being viewed as the first significant clash between Lieutenant Governor Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah
J-K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha (File/ANI)
Hours after National Conference (NC) MLAs and Congress leaders urged Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to reconsider his decision on the transfer of officials, Sinha responded by affirming that he was fully aware of his limits and had not acted beyond his authority.
Speaking at a News18 event in New Delhi on Friday, Manoj Sinha defended his recent decision to transfer 48 Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officials — a move widely perceived as undermining the authority of the elected government.
“I would like to make it clear that the J&K Reorganisation Act was passed by the Parliament in 2019. And I am saying with great responsibility that I have not done anything outside this Act,” Sinha was heard saying in a short video clip from the News18 event.
“I am well within my domain and I will never do anything outside of that. I know my limits and I will never cross those limits,” he said in the clip, which has been widely circulated on social media.
On the same day, Sinha made his remarks, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired a legislature party meeting with members of the National Conference and its allies, including the Congress, passing a resolution urging the Centre to uphold the people’s mandate in the Union Territory.
“We believe that the mandate given to us by the people of J&K after their participation in the Assembly elections last year needs to be respected,” NC’s chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said after the meeting.
Without naming L-G Sinha, Sadiq said, “Anyone who does not respect this mandate is insulting it, and through this resolution, we have requested and demanded from the Government of India to respect this mandate.”
BJP Defends ‘Transfer’ Move
Defending the decision to transfer JKAS officers, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and BJP leader Sunil Sharma slammed the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led J&K government for questioning the move, saying that transfers were routine and conducted within the L-G’s legal jurisdiction.
“Sinha has acted within his jurisdiction and followed the law,” said the BJP leader, accusing the NC of treating Jammu and Kashmir as its “personal property” for decades. He noted that the region is now a Union Territory and must be governed accordingly.
PDP, one of the key opposition parties after the BJP, also aimed at the NC government. PDP leader and Pulwama MLA Waheed Para said, “A party in J&K that once appointed its own Sadri Reyast and PM is now fighting over Tehsildar appointments, not rights. Goalposts aren’t just shifting, they’ve hit rock bottom.”
The transfers are being viewed as the first significant clash between Lieutenant Governor Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had until now maintained cordial relations with both the L-G and the Centre.
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