Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 18: MLA Langate, Engineer Abdul Rashid today staged a walkout from the State Assembly during the debate on grants on Housing and Urban Development Ministry, R&B and Industry protesting against the presence of former Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shabir Ahmed Khan in the House.
As the former Minister and MLA Rajouri entered the House and took his bench, Engineer Rashid stood up from his bench and protested against the entry of former Minister. He went up to the Well of the House protesting and started arguments with Deputy Speaker, Sartaj Madni who was on the chair at that time.
Though Sartaj Madni asked the member to take his seat and allow the House to function properly, the MLA did not yield and continued protest against the presence of former Minister in the House.
Even the Deputy Speaker’s repeated plea that the matter is subjudice made no impact on the member who continued protest and also disrupted speech of NPP MLA, Balwant Singh Mankotia who was speaking on the annual grants at that time.
Mankotia also protested against the member’s behaviour. He asked the Deputy Speaker either hear the MLA or remove him from the House.
Rashid however did not budge saying that has your inner self died. Why the MLA on whom allegations were leveled has been allowed to enter the House. All people who have committed crime are in jail, he added.
Taking serious note of MLA’s utterances NPP leader Harshdev Singh also stood up from his seat saying that this was not the way the member was protesting.
Meantime Mubarak Gul came to his chair who too said that the matter is in the court and the House can’t do any thing. He said that if case is proved then action will be taken against the former Minister.
However Engineer Rashid continued protest saying had the ex Minister been sincere he should have surrendered before the court.
He said the Government had talked about morality after coming to power in 2009 and today when its ex Minister was accused it is calm. After this the member staged the walkout.
Later MLA again protested in the House while participating on grants and accused the Government that present MD Housing Board, Ram Paul Sharma was selected by throwing all norms and service rules to winds.
He said the present incumbent who has joined his service as a simple junior assistant, in eighties rose to the highest rank in the organization through backdoor promotions and by throwing all service rules and norms to winds.
However it was strongly objected by BJP Legislative Party leader, Ashok Khajuria, his party colleague Ch Sukhnandan and JSM MLA Ashwani Sharma who too stood up from their respective seats and started heated arguments with Rashid.
But in his reply Minister of Urban Development, Rigzin Jora said that there is a precedence in the State that a Pathwari has rose to the level of Chief Secretary and there was noting wrong in it.
This was protested by PDP MLA Abdul Rehman Veeri and Abdul Gaffar Sofi who too stood from their seats saying that the Minister can’t justify if wrong has been done.
They said that qualification and experience is required for a person to head the administrative units. A matriculate can’t run the office for which IAS or KAS is the basic requirement, they added.
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