New Delhi, Dec. 01 — In a pointed and emotionally charged maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha, National Conference (NC) leader and newly elected Member of Parliament Chowdhary Mohd Ramzan warned that Jammu and Kashmir’s democratic mandate is being undermined, alleging that real authority in the Union Territory lies not with the elected government but with the Lieutenant Governor (LG).
Ramzan, who entered the Upper House following the October 2024 Assembly elections, J&K’s first since the 2019 reorganization, said the people of Kashmir voted with hope, only to find their elected representatives sidelined. Speaking with the weight of public sentiment behind him, he said the administration in Jammu and Kashmir remains effectively centralized under the LG’s office despite the restoration of an elected government.
“Our government has nothing in its hands. All the power is in the hands of the LG. Orders flow from there,” Ramzan remarked, his voice echoing through the House as he questioned the purpose of holding elections if the resulting government is denied operational autonomy.
The NC leader stressed that the people of Jammu and Kashmir delivered a decisive mandate in the recent polls, expecting their representatives to craft policies and take decisions without bureaucratic obstruction. Instead, he argued, ministers and legislators find themselves unable to exercise even basic governance responsibilities.
“What is the meaning of an elected government if it cannot wield authority?” he asked, urging Parliament to recognize the growing frustration in the region.
Ramzan’s comments arrive at a time when debates over administrative control, political rights, and the future of democratic institutions in Jammu and Kashmir remain central to national discourse. While the Union Territory’s government has been reinstated after a long period of direct central rule, questions persist about how much power it truly holds.
With Kashmir still navigating the complexities of post-2019 governance, Ramzan’s intervention signals that the battle for political agency in the Valley is far from over. __Photo courtesy X
