After 48 JKAS officers transferred, tensions rise between Omar Abdullah government and LG Manoj Sinha

A fresh rift has emerged in Jammu and Kashmir’s power corridors as tensions grow between the elected government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

The fresh trigger is the recent transfer of 48 JKAS officers by Sinha’s office, reportedly without consulting the elected government. The ruling alliance—comprising the National Conference (NC), Congress, and independent legislators—has accused the LG of bypassing democratic procedures.

An emergency meeting of the alliance was held in Srinagar on Friday, chaired by Omar Abdullah and attended by senior leaders, including NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah.

The meeting concluded with two key resolutions—one condemning the Waqf Bill recently passed in Parliament, and another urging the Centre to respect the people’s mandate in Jammu and Kashmir.

Lieutenant Governor Sinha, however, stood firm. “I have not done anything outside the J&K Reorganisation Act. I am well within my domain and will never cross my limits,” he said in an interview.

The Abdullah-led government had earlier submitted new Business Rules defining the division of powers between the elected government and the LG. The rules are intended to curb the LG’s overriding authority. However, the Centre is yet to approve them.

“Those who do not honour this mandate are insulting the will of the people," said Tanvir Sadiq, chief spokesperson of the NC. Congress leader Nizamudin Bhat added that the alliance’s cooperative approach with Delhi should not be mistaken for weakness.

“We want to work with love and cooperation, but don’t push us to the wall,” he warned. Bhat cautioned against the forces that try to weaken democratic institutions. “This legislature represents a credible, popular mandate that must be taken seriously—even in Parliament,” he said.

LG Sinha maintained that relations with the new government would remain smooth if its agenda focused on peace, prosperity, and development.

He said the statehood would be restored in due course, as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

India