Unfortunately the legislators in Jammu & Kashmir are using the assembly as a forum for issuing threats and counter threats and this speaks volumes about the irresponsible conduct of the legislators who obliged to stick to the purposes of public representation. Tuesday when ruckus broke out in the Legislative Assembly as some legislators of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) entered into heated arguments with the independent legislator Engineer Abdul Rashid who on quoting an urdu couplet was confronted by PDP MLA from Baramulla Javed Hassan Beigh . While Beigh called Rashid a nuisance and accused him of creating un-necessary trouble on the floor of the House,Rashid called Beigh a national ‘traitor’ and in no time both the legislators entered into a heated argument and started using words which even illiterates fighting on the streets won’t like to utter . Speaker Assembly should have admonished Javed Hussain Beigh the PDP MLA from Baramulla the moment he said “Rashid should be hanged in full public glare in the city centre Lal Chowk”. Er Rashid did not use the abusive words but instead choose to say “I am ready to sacrifice my life for the sake of plebiscite” and accused Beigh of selling his conscience and said that PDP has given up its ideals for which the party stood . While Rashid tended to question PDP legislator on the lines of political ideology the ruling party had propagated for over a decade prior to 2014 elections, Javed Hussain Baig could have contested Er Rashid over his remarks on plebiscite on ideological lines instead of saying the Rashid should be hanged in full public glare in city centre Lal Chowk. While the members from the both the BJP and PDP demanded action against Er Rashid, none from the opposition dared to seek action against Javed Beigh on making unwanted provocative remarks against Er Rashid. Shockingly Speaker Kavinder Gupta directed the marshals to take out MLA Langate from the House instead of directing Javed Beigh and some MLAs of BJP from using wanted provocative remarks against Er Rashid. Now if at all Er Rashid’s presence was disrupting order in the house, speaker should have asked the marshalls to forcibly take out both Rashid and Beig out from the house but not only Rashid who spewed venom on Beigh only after hearing unwanted provocative remarks from Beig.
Now when the Speaker and the Chief Minister have apologized to Rana, it is the speaker who has to ensure that members don’t used the assembly as a forum for issuing threats and counter threats as assembly is the forum for public representation and not hooliganism.
Though some members of the main opposition National Conference legislators entered into physical brawl with the marshals who on speaker’s direction tried to take Er Rashid forcibly out from the house, but action against Er Rashid was not sought by the opposition member from the Speaker Assembly who being the custodian of the house has to act against the members showing misconduct in a non partisan manner. The NC legislators ensured that MLA Langate is not taken out of the House. Later in the day heated arguments were also witnessed between youth services minister Imran Raza Ansari and MLA Nagrota Devinder Singh Rana as soon as the later started his speech on the GST issue. Unfortunately Ansari threatened to Lynch Rana amid trading charges over tax evasion with him and finally Tuesday morning the Speaker and Chief Minister apologized to Rana. Now when the Speaker and the Chief Minister have apologized to Rana, it is the speaker who has to ensure that members don’t used the assembly as a forum for issuing threats and counter threats as assembly is the forum for public representation and not hooliganism.
