People should not strengthen those who are harmful to peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir: Sinha

Jammu. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has urged people not to support such elements, which are harmful to peace and development in this Union Territory. Describing the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A as a historic change, Sinha also claimed that without this step half the population would have been deprived of their rights. In an interview with ‘PTI-Video’ on Sunday, he said, “I want to tell the people not to strengthen the elements that are harmful to peace and development.” Sinha was answering questions about the criticism of some political parties over the election of jailed leader Engineer Rashid as a Member of Parliament and the possibility of increasing separatism in democratic politics due to this. The Lieutenant Governor said, “It is true that such elements have reached Parliament. The country knows them and we also know them. I urge the completely free voters in a democracy to take decisions keeping in mind the national interests. Rashid took oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha after winning from Baramulla constituency. Rashid defeated National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah in Baramulla by over two lakh votes. Independent MP Rashid was arrested in the 2017 terror-financing case. Sinha described the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A as the beginning of a historic era of peace and development. The Narendra Modi-led government in 2009 repealed the articles giving special rights to the then Jammu and Kashmir state and divided it into two union territories. He said, “The abrogation of Article 370 was historic. This has started a new chapter of peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir. We have tried our best to ensure that Jammu and Kashmir remains at the forefront, the aspirations of every person are fulfilled and most importantly, stability is established here. The Lieutenant Governor said that the administration has achieved significant success in this regard. He said, “The era of discrimination is over. Refugees from (then) West Pakistan, marginalized communities like Valmiki, Dalits, tribals and especially women have been given their rights. If Article 370 had not been abolished, more than 50 percent of the population here would not have got their due rights. This is a big change. ” Sinha also took a dig at the leaders who criticised the government on this issue. He said, “This country runs on the Constitution and I always expect those who take oath to uphold it to understand why a new era has begun.