• BJP MLAs enter Well over power tariff hike, workers’ demands
• NC, Congress raise statehood issue as Assembly proceedings disrupted
• Speaker adjourns House amid competing slogans and protests
Srinagar|Sept, 21: The autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly opened on Monday amid noisy protests, with BJP legislators entering the Well of the House over issues including the recent power tariff hike and demands for regularisation of daily-wagers and other contractual workers.
The protests began shortly after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather completed obituary references. Led by Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma, BJP members raised slogans seeking justice for daily-wagers, National Health Mission (NHM) employees and other categories of workers.
The BJP legislators also protested against the recent increase in electricity tariffs, with some members holding placards and raising slogans against the government. The protests continued as ministers responded to questions during Question Hour.
As the BJP members stepped up their protest and moved into the Well, slogans including “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “VandeMataram” were raised. Members from the Treasury benches responded by raising the demand for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
CPI(M) MLA Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami also intervened during the exchanges, asking BJP members to raise the issue of restoration of statehood.
Congress MLAs Irfan Hafiz Lone and Iftikhar Ahmad, along with Shopian MLA Shabir Kulley and Langate MLA Sheikh Khursheed, attempted to move towards the Well but were stopped by marshals.
Speaker Rather repeatedly asked the protesting members to return to their seats and warned them against disrupting proceedings. The BJP members, however, continued their protest in the Well.
National Conference members also raised slogans seeking restoration of statehood. NC MLA Nazir Gurezi accused the BJP of wasting the time of the House, while Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary alleged that the Opposition was preventing the government from addressing issues facing the people.
The disruption eventually led the Speaker to adjourn the House for the day. The first day of the session thus ended within hours amid competing protests over governance, employment-related issues, power tariffs and statehood.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary alleged that the Opposition was preventing the government from addressing issues facing the people.
Choudhary later termed the BJP’s protest “mere drama”, saying the Opposition should use the Assembly to question the government and raise issues concerning the public instead of disrupting proceedings.
“The House should have been used for people’s expectations. No doubt the time was less; however, it should have been utilised for the people,” Choudhary said.
He said the Opposition had a responsibility to hold the government accountable, but argued that this should be done through debate and discussion.
“They don’t want to run the House but only to be in headlines and reels. This drama won’t be allowed to continue,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
Choudhary also alleged that the BJP deliberately disrupted the proceedings over the report related to the Jal Jeevan Mission.
“BJP knew the Jal Jeevan Mission report was to be submitted. The irregularities pertain to their tenure and were committed by them,” he alleged.
Responding to the BJP’s reported demand for a CBI inquiry, Choudhary said the matter could be raised before the government and the Assembly rather than through disruption.
“If they want a CBI inquiry, they should raise the matter before the government and the Assembly instead of creating a hue and cry,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after the adjournment, BJP Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma said the party was seeking answers from the government on issues concerning NHM employees, ASHA workers, anganwadi workers, CAMPA workers, GRS and technical assistants.
“When the government fails, it becomes the duty of the opposition to hold the government accountable before the people in the Assembly,” Sharma said, accusing the Omar Abdullah government of trying to evade questions concerning people’s issues.
PDP MLA Waheed Para, meanwhile, raised the issue of reservation and unemployment, arguing that the government needed to revisit the reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir. He said youth and questions concerning merit would remain among the major issues before the House.
The autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is scheduled to continue until September 30, with legislators expected to take up issues relating to employment, reservation, regularisation of workers, electricity tariffs and other public concerns.
