Dual governance in J&K ‘blatant disrespect’ to public mandate: NC’s Sadhotra

Jammu, Apr 05: National Conference (NC) Additional General Secretary and former minister, Ajay Kumar Sadhotra on Saturday expressed deep concern over the ongoing dual governance in “sensitive” Jammu and Kashmir, terming it as detrimental to public interest and a “blatant disregard” for the popular mandate given by the people during the Assembly elections.
Addressing a public meeting at Jindrah in Nagrota Assembly Constituency, Sadhotra said democracy is fundamentally a system of governance of the people, by the people and for the people. “Any deviation from this principle, especially in a region as politically sensitive and strategically significant as Jammu and Kashmir, is bound to create alienation, confusion, and administrative inertia,” he said.
“The will of the people must not be undermined. Governance must reflect the aspirations and sentiments of the people, not override them,” he asserted.
The NC leader lamented that the concept of dual governance where the elected representatives are ignored and discretionary powers are centralised, leads to authoritarian tendencies that go against the very ethos of democratic functioning.
“People have an inalienable right to be the masters of their own destiny. Any attempt to govern them through indirect means, without accountability or transparency, is a betrayal of democratic values,” he added.
Sadhotra said even the Business Rules formulated and recommended by a democratically elected government have been ignored or put on the back burner, while actions that serve bureaucratic or political expediency are being fast-tracked regardless of their merit or impact on public welfare. “This selective governance not only breeds inefficiency and mistrust but also kills the very spirit of democratic accountability,” he said.
Highlighting the impact of the current dual arrangement, the former minister cautioned that when the control of the elected government over the administration is curtailed or restrained, it dilutes the very purpose of having public representatives. “In such a scenario, accountability becomes the first casualty, and governance drifts into a directionless, undemocratic exercise,” he said.
Calling for immediate course correction, the NC Additional General Secretary called for restraining the primacy of elected institutions and empowering them to function in line with the constitutional framework and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve participatory governance, not a top-down model of control. Their voice must matter and their vote must also matter,” he observed.
He reiterated the NC’s strong demand for the immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, as promised in Parliament and reaffirmed before the Supreme Court.