Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, on Monday criticized mainstream parties for opposing the land for landless initiative, attributing them to the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Kashmir. He said, “These people can’t digest peace as they don’t want it. They were provoking people to promote street violence, see closure of schools and colleges. These people are responsible for the killing of 40,000 to 50,000 innocents in J&K.” However, LG Sinha refrained from specifically naming any political party or person. During a three-day national workshop on Panchayat with Good Governance at the Convention Centre, Sinha challenged the Sarpanchs, Panchs, BDCs, and DDCs, asking them to identify a single instance where land or a home was allocated to a non-J&K resident under PMAY. He clarified, “There was much noise that land is being provided to non-J&K resident. Not a single non-J&K resident has been provided land or home under PMAY.” Sinha underscored the transformative changes in the region over the past four years. He noted, “Street violence which was routine has ended and schools, colleges remain open throughout the year. People were seen leaving for their homes soon after sunset, but today, even after 10 pm, restaurants and hotels are open. This is what has changed. This is indeed a big change.” He identified a persistent effort by certain groups to undermine peace by provoking incidents that could rekindle street violence. Sinha also emphasized the significance of Panchayats in effective governance and highlighted ongoing projects at that level. He remarked, “Village with good governance is a dream of every panchayat that will be fulfilled. Funds, Function and Functionary has been streamlined and people are enjoying and reaping the benefits of the Panchayati Raj system.
