Arif Mohammad Khan
SRINAGAR: In a democracy, people are supreme and their vote decides who will govern, not family background, said Arif Mohammad Khan, the governor of poll-bound Bihar, in Kashmir on Wednesday.Speaking to reporters after attending an international symposium on ‘Peace, People and Possibilities in Jammu & Kashmir’ in Srinagar, Khan said it’s not right to describe the Bihar assembly polls as a wrestling match. “It is a festival of democracy. Govts are not formed by those born into certain families but by those chosen through the ballot box,” he said, adding: “Those who govern are given a mandate by the people for a limited period. They are not sovereign, you are sovereign, people are sovereign.”Referring to President Droupadi Murmu, Khan said it was inspiring that a woman from Jharkhand, who once went to an SDM’s office to sell her two bighas of land while being a governor, has become the president of India, and a man born in an ordinary home is now the PM. “This sends a message to every citizen, especially the youth, that in our system, there is no limit to how far you can rise. You have to win the hearts of the people, and the sky is the limit,” he said.He described Kashmir as the “crown of the country” and the “epicentre of knowledge and wisdom”.About restoration of J&K’s statehood, the Bihar governor said a conducive situation must be created for that, “and it is our collective responsibility to work for it”.LG Manoj Sinha, in his inaugural address at the symposium, said “huge sacrifices have been made in the last five years to take Jammu Kashmir where it is now”. Within five years, “our brave forces and police have created a J&K in which the sound of ragas and new enthusiasm has replaced the sound of bullets and grenades,” he said.“We have created a J&K in which the walls of schools are echoing not with the clash of stones but with the laughter and innovation and education of children. We have created a J&K in which towns like Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam, once shrouded in silence, have transformed into cultural and literary centres for the youth. Markets like Lal Chowk and Polo View are no longer deserted, but are glowing with new vitality. We have created a J&K in which new aspirations are floating on the waves of Vitasta,” Sinha added.
