National Conference senior leader Rajesh Gupta has raised serious alarm over what he termed the “growing indifference” of Jammu and Kashmir’s bureaucracy towards the Legislative Assembly, describing it as a direct challenge to democratic accountability. In a statement issued Sunday, Gupta said the persistent absence of senior administrative officers, especially during Question Hour, undermines the very spirit of legislative oversight and risks weakening the institutional balance between elected representatives and career bureaucrats.

Gupta’s remarks come amid an increasingly tense equation between the J&K government and its bureaucracy, as reports surface of delayed departmental responses and minimal attendance during vital Assembly sessions. The NC leader emphasised that such conduct erodes public trust and sets a dangerous precedent where administration functions without effective political scrutiny.

He urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene, ensuring mandatory participation of departmental heads in legislative discussions. The issue has reignited the longstanding debate over bureaucratic autonomy versus political accountability in J&K’s governance structure. With opposition parties rallying around Gupta’s concerns, the brewing J&K Government vs Bureaucracy fault line could evolve into a wider confrontation about transparency and constitutional responsibility.