A fresh political spat erupted in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday after Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that the absence of statehood cannot be used as an “excuse for underperformance”.

Sinha was speaking at a function at SKICC in Srinagar. “Things will happen only after statehood is granted is an excuse,” he said.

“All powers are with the elected government. I want to emphasise that [they] should stop fooling people and use their powers for the benefit of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reacted sharply to the LG’s remarks, hinting that it was easy to give advice.

Without naming Sinha, Omar, after inaugurating a bridge in Srinagar, said, “Today, a responsible person advised me not to fool people in the name of Union Territory and statehood, but to do my

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