(Manoj Sinha being a seasoned politician, has turned out to be quite an administrator: apt and suitable for a place like J&K)
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha hasn’t even completed two years in office and there are already reports of the Centre contemplating his replacement as the Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of J&K. If reports are to be believed then BJP’s Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is likely going to be dispatched to J&K to discharge the duties of the Lieutenant Governor. If true, then it is going to be too much, too soon, because, even as J&K is being directly controlled by Delhi, running it from here not only demands experience in handling administrative and other key matters, but also the investment of time to understand the system and its flows down to the grassroots.
The incumbent LG has been doing considerably well in J&K, particularly on the development front, and tightening a noose around the anti-peace elements that have been always playing a role of a spoilsport, now brought under total control. There has been a considerable improvement in the delivery by the Government departments across the UT even as the grievance redressal mechanism has also witnessed a sea change over the years, particularly after Sinha was appointed as the LG on August 7, 2020.
Even though he also took time to understand the system, identify shortcomings and figure out the possible solutions to the same, he still deserves some more time. Sinha, so far, has tread effectively and as an LG, he has been at the forefront to ensure proper service delivery of the Government machinery as well as transparency in the system as a whole, while exceptions remained there. If we say that he has been able to reshape the system and ensured it imbibes basic public service qualities, it won’t be an exaggeration.
Also, the incumbent, apart from being a seasoned politician, has turned out to be quite an administrator: apt and suitable for a place like J&K. While his contribution as a politician has also been endorsed and praised by PM Narendra Modi, Sinha makes a good choice in letting him run and manage J&K for a couple of more years—and why not let him complete a 5-year term instead?
In such a scenario, as the situation demands, any changes would send bad signals because Sinha has turned out to be a meticulous manager; has been able to understand J&K to a greater extent; handled tricky situations calmly; conversed well with locals while he carried a flavored Hindi tongue. Instead of paving a way for his early exit, there is a need for giving him more time to understand J&K, which is deeper and far beyond the apparent. In case the Government goes ahead with the plan of replacement, which it can, the move might slow down various processes which have been kick-started on various fronts, something which the Government wouldn’t want at this juncture. But the call is theirs!
