Jammu & Kashmir

JK may have a new governor later in August: Ram Madhav

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The senior BJP leader, commenting on the NRC row, said that 40 lakh people had nothing to fear because there would be several opportunities to prove their citizenship bonafides.

In an exclusive interview with ThePrint, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said that Jammu & Kashmir may have a new governor later this month. The current governor, N.N Vohra, is set to step down after a 10 year office tenure, possibly after the conclusion of Amarnath Yatra.

“The tenure of the governor gets over in a couple of weeks. The government can think about the future, take what steps it thinks are best. I assume there will be a new governor soon,” Madhav said.

Possible successors to the veteran governor include names of Maharashtra governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, a committed activist of the RSS for several decades, and Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) and former home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.

Sources said there had been differences of opinion between Vohra and the BJP leadership, especially around the restoration of the assembly and Article 35A.

“Right now we prefer to continue governor’s rule in J&K. We are in favour of continuing the state of suspended animation of the assembly. But we will have to see how politics happens,” said Madhav.

“What if the National Conference and Congress and PDP come together? They have the numbers… But we are in favour of continuing governor’s rule, and after that, perhaps, President’s rule for another six months,” he added.

The senior BJP leader also spoke about the recent NRC row, stating that 40 lakh people had nothing to fear because there would be several opportunities to prove their citizenship bonafides. He stated that India had assured Bangladesh that identifying “illegal migrants” who may have settled in India over the years was a long process, and that their deportation was a long way off.

“Our leadership is in touch with the Bangladeshi side. Before we reach that stage of deportation, we have to cross many bridges. The Bangladesh government understands,” he added.

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