Srinagar: Newly appointed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence saying that the people of Jammu and Kashmir stood against those forces who tried to divide this land on communal lines too during the country’s partition.
In his message to the people of Union Territory on I-day, Sinha said that the philosophy of Ahimsa propounded by Mahatma Gandhi has been the guiding light of India’s movement for independence and this insistence of non-violence has always been consistent with the ethos of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Those responsible for the partition of the country did try to divide this land too on communal lines, but the people of this land have always steadfastly rejected this bigoted ideology. The rejection is directly a consequence of the fact that the labels ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ have always been only descriptions rather than manifestation of a division in Jammu and Kashmir,” Sinha said.
He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir dissociated themselves from the communal riots of partition, and “fully immersed themselves in upholding the spirit of national integration”.
He said everyone is familiar with the contribution and role of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the struggle for India’s liberty and innumerable heroes from the erstwhile state have offered the ultimate sacrifice in service of Mother India.
“Unfortunately, some wrong decisions were taken after independence. These decisions inevitably led to resentment in the hearts of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and distanced them from the rest. This distancing led to the widening of fissures and cracks. Generation after generation was sacrificed at the altar of hatred,” he said
“Instead of countless doors that should have opened for the people in Independent India, numerous doors closed upon the people, and distances increased,” he added.
The J&K LG said that former Prime Minister’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee laid great emphasis on Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat. “But humanity conceded defeat to militancy for decades in Kashmir, democracy suffered at the hands of vested interests, and Kashmiriyat was massacred to appease the hatred that ensued,” Sinha said
“It is a matter of great sorrow that the legacy of cultural syncretism has been eclipsed by the vicious story of sectarianism. But we want to transform the narrative once again. We want to make development, peace, progress and social harmony the most integral part of the narrative of Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
Referring to the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, Sinha said that after the constitutional change enacted in 2019, the central government took not one or two, but historic 50 decisions to transform the face of the region.
“A new era of normalcy and development has dawned due to the changes effected in the last year; a new journey has been undertaken,” he said.
He said the government has earmarked five targets to be achieved, including a just and transparent system of governance, establishing a thriving grassroot level democracy and ensuring every person benefits from government schemes.
“Fourthly, we are committed to accelerate the development of Jammu and Kashmir. Lastly, Economic development, creation of employment opportunities and livelihood will be our primary priority,” the LG said.
He said the government will try to make Jammu and Kashmir an attractive destination for investment. To achieve it, he said new medicity, educational centers and IT Hubs will be developed.
“A land bank of 6000 acres has been created for it. This will open new avenues of employment for our youth. The process of filling 11000 posts has been started to provide employment. In addition to this, 10,000 more vacant posts will be filled soon. The interview for Class III and IV posts has been abolished,” Sinha said.
To promote tourism, he said new destinations are being developed and unprecedented investment is being made in the sports sector.
“Jammu and Kashmir has long suffered from scarcity of development. We have to remove this scarcity. Electricity, water and roads shall be made available to every house and village. We have to create a healthy and educated society here. We have to create ultramodern and world class infrastructure here. We have to transform Jammu and Kashmir into a world class tourism destination. We have to create a peaceful environment here. I expect the full cooperation and support of people here that we may create a new Jammu and Kashmir,” Sinha said.
He added that it was the dream of Sardar Patel that whole India should not just exist as a political map, but also move forward together at the same time, and conquer new milestones of development and progress.
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