Date:06/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/06/stories/2008070657790700.htm

National

S.K. Sinha admits to differences with Mufti

Staff Reporter

JAMMU: The man in the eye of the storm and former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, S.K. Sinha, has admitted his deep differences during his years in office with former Chief Minister and People Democratic Party founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed while he has credited Chief Minister and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for ushering in a process of development in the state.

In his published interview in Epilogue, a local J&K magazine which was given two days before he demitted office, Mr. Sinha said, “I never spoke against Mr. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. We were never at ease right from day one.”

However, he said, “Mr. Azad is the best CM any State could have. He [Azad] has done in two-and-a-half years what his predecessors could not do in the past 50 years."

On the basic purpose of land diversion order to the Shrine Board which caused protests, Mr. Sinha said, “The piece of land, which has been dragged into controversy, has been used for the Yatra purposes for 100 years now. We have been putting up temporary toilets and shelters there with government permission since 2005. The proposal [land diversion] was not only in the knowledge of PDP Ministers but was also pushed by them at various stages. How can they [PDP leaders] make such noises now when they have all along been a part of it [the land diversion proposal]?”