Democracy suffered at hands of vested interests, says Sinha

Tribune News Service
Srinagar, August 14

Saying that democracy suffered at the hands of “vested interests”, Lt-Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday said they wanted to make development, peace, progress and social harmony, the most integral part of the narrative of J&K.

He said a new era of normalcy and development had dawned on J&K due to the constitutional change effected last year and promised the government would ensure this journey reaches to the destination quickly.

“Unfortunately, some wrong decisions were taken after Independence and these decisions inevitably led to resentment in the hearts of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and distanced them from the rest. Generation after generation was sacrificed at the altar of hatred. Instead of countless doors that should have opened for the people in Independent India, numerous doors closed upon the people, and distances increased,” Sinha said in his Independence Day message.“We want to make development, peace, progress and social harmony the most integral part of the narrative of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

“A new journey has been undertaken. To ensure that this journey allows us to reach our destination quickly, the government has earmarked five targets to be achieved,” he said. He said the first target is to put in place a just and transparent system of governance. “Secondly, we want to establish a thriving grassroots-level democracy. Thirdly, we wish to ensure maximum welfare by ensuring that 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,” he said.