NC Govt elected, not ‘nominated’: Dy CM

Hits back at LoP Sunil Sharma; says Govt focused on jobs, skill education

Srinagar, May 09: Asserting that the present government was elected by the people under the Constitution of India, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary on Saturday hit back at Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma over his remarks on the National Conference-led government.

The Deputy Chief Minister, while talking to reporters during his visit to a Polytechnic College here, as per the news agency, said the government’s priority is to strengthen technical education and create better employment opportunities for the youth of the Union Territory.

“Polytechnics and ITIs prepare skilled youth. We want quality subjects and modern courses so that students receive proper education and secure employment opportunities,” he said, while urging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to introduce more job-oriented courses in technical institutions across Jammu and Kashmir.

Reacting to LoP Sharma’s remarks, the Deputy Chief Minister said he could only “laugh” at such statements. “Sometimes he makes good jokes. Perhaps he does not understand the real issues being faced by the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Choudhary said.

He said unemployment and public grievances increased during the previous governments’ tenure. “For the last more than a decade, unemployment rose under the BJP-PDP governments. You never talked about unemployed youth or the lack of basic facilities in hospitals,” he said.

The Deputy Chief Minister also alleged that the Jal Jeevan Mission had failed to adequately address drinking water shortages in several areas of Jammu and Kashmir. “You launched the Jal Jeevan Mission, but people are still struggling for water. We are trying to address and fix these issues,” he added.

Dy CM Choudhary also said recruitment in the education sector suffered during the previous administration due to the freezing of teaching posts, which adversely impacted employment prospects for educated youth.

“We are not nominated or selected representatives. We are elected by the people under the Constitution of India,” he said—(KNO).