SRINAGAR: Snubbing political parties in J&K that are demanding restoration of statehood before Assembly elections, Lt-Governor Manoj Sinha told this newspaper that polls will take place soon after the delimitation exercise, implying that statehood will wait for elections.
“Deciding the dates of the elections is the prerogative of the Election Commission but polls will take place the moment the Delimitation Commission completes its work,” the L-G said in an interview at his residence here.
After the all-party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June, many J&K parties had demanded statehood before elections, saying the future timeline should be delimitation, statehood and then elections.
But the L-G’s assertion means the order of priority will be delimitation, elections and lastly statehood.
Sinha said this was in line with the PM’s statement on Independence day that after delimitation there will be polls. Asked when the delimitation exercise is expected to be completed, he said it should be over soon.
“The commission is working very sincerely. They were here for four days recently and they have collected data from all the districts. They sought our views also,” Sinha said.
Sounding a warning to government employees involved in anti-national activities, he said he would take strict action against them.
“As per the Constitution, the President and the head of a state have the right to dismiss any government employee who is a threat to the state.” He said this provision was there in the erstwhile J&K Constitution also.
Asked if there would be security implications for Kashmir after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Sinha said the security forces were prepared for any possible threat. “Now no one can get a terrorist released from police custody,” he asserted.