Jammu, Jan 15,: Cabinet Minister Satish Sharma on Thursday made strong remarks against sections of the bureaucracy, accusing them of arrogance, obstruction, and an unwillingness to accept the authority of the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Satish Sharma, responding to a query on the prolonged delay in compassionate appointments in the Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation, acknowledged that no such appointments have been made for a considerable period due to the non-implementation of SO12 and persistent bureaucratic red tape.
Sharma, as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust, said that the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already held special meetings on the issue and assured that SO12 will be implemented shortly. He alleged that some officers were still functioning with a mindset shaped after 2019 and were unable to digest the return of an elected government.
“Some bureaucrats are drunk with arrogance and believe they are still running the system. They must understand that everything has an expiry. Nothing is permanent. Jammu and Kashmir will not remain a Union Territory forever, and no officer will rule for all time. Only God is permanent, and all of us are answerable for our actions before the Almighty,” Sharma said.
He warned officers against playing with the futures of deserving youth, stating that children eligible for compassionate appointments under SO12 should not be made victims of bureaucratic delays and personal egos. Sharma said obstructing such cases was not just administrative misconduct but a moral failure.
The minister alleged that some individuals were actively working to destabilize the elected government and were frustrated after failing to secure political power despite spending crores of rupees. “There cannot be two power centres. Two power centres are simply not possible. Time will change, and the day is not far when these elements will be exposed and will have no face to show,” he said.
Sharma also made a pointed appeal to media organizations, urging them to remain fair and unbiased. He said media should act as a unifying force and not function as an extension of political or power interests.
Strongly defending the Chief Minister, Sharma said there is no secular leader like Omar Abdullah and claimed that his leadership has no comparison in terms of inclusiveness, democratic values, and public accountability. [KNT]
