National Conference (NC) President and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Lieutenant Governor’s administration, accusing it of misleading the people of J&K on the issue of statehood and governance.

Reacting to the LG’s recent remarks that there was “confusion” about statehood and that J&K had sufficient powers to work for public welfare, the three-time chief minister said the statement was far from the truth.“He has never told the truth,” he said, responding to reporters’ questions in Srinagar. “Total control of the IPS and IAS is under him. Not a single file has he passed back.”

The NC President’s remarks come amid growing political debate over the restoration of statehood to J&K, which was bifurcated into two Union Territories – J&K and Ladakh – following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

Earlier, the LG said that there should be no “confusion” over the issue of powers in the Union Territory, asserting that the administration had enough authority to carry out welfare and developmental works.