Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 5: Legislative Assembly and Council were rocked by opposition parties’ protests over rehabilitation of last year’s flood victims and beef ban with banner-waving, slogan-shouting MLAs of National Conference (NC) and Congress storming into the well, climbing tables and clashing with marshals, forcing the Speakers to adjourn the Houses.
Congress MLA from Bandipora Usman Abdul Majeed was injured along with a marshal during the ruckus in the Legislative Assembly. Gauging the mood of the opposition, the Speakers of the Assembly, Kavinder Gupta and Council, Chairman Legislative Council, Haji Anayat Ali, adjourned the Houses for the day.
National Conference (NC) raised the issue of beef ban with its leader Omar Abdullah questioning why the BJP-PDP Government approached the Supreme Court when the legislature is free to scrap the 1932 provision in the Ranbir Penal Code prohibiting cow slaughter.
As soon as the House assembled, NC, Congress and other Independent MLAs were on their feet demanding that the Speaker suspend the Question hour to take up issues like beef ban, rehabilitation of flood victims and tax on pilgrims in the State.
As Speaker of the Assembly, Kavinder Gupta, continued with the business of the House, several opposition members jumped into the well and raised banners which read: “Stop exploiting flood victims” and “Revoke tax on religious pilgrims”.
The NC members raised slogans against the beef ban and what they termed as interference in the religious matters. As the protests in the well of the House continued and it was difficult to run the House, Speaker decided to adjourn it for 15 minutes.
The House, however, resumed the proceedings after 30 minutes. This was again marked by intensified protests. A few MLAs jostled with the marshals who stopped them from charging towards the treasury benches and the Speaker. Congress MLA from Bandipora Usman Abdul Majeed was injured along with a marshal who was carried out by his colleagues as he was writhing in pain.
Chaos prevailed as the agitated lawmakers climbed on the tables in front of the Speaker. Two MLAs of the National Conference, Abdul Majid Larmi and Ishfaq Sheikh, were marshalled out of the House.
The NC and Congress members were joined by Independent MLAs Shiekh Abdul Rashid and Hakim Mohammad Yasin in the protest.
The opposition MLAs tore papers as they raised slogans against the PDP-BJP coalition Government, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
The Speaker continued to run the House amid protests and uproar in the House but when it went out of control, he adjourned the House for one hour. When the House proceedings resumed after 75 minutes, the protests again started as the opposition did not relent and the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.
The National Conference, CPI(M) and Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid have submitted separate bills seeking revocation of the provision that “criminalises” cow slaughter in the State.
Omar told reporters outside the House that they were protesting against the “dictatorial practices” of the Speaker, who had earlier said that he would not allow any such bill. “Today, unfortunately, our protest was against the dictatorial practices of the Speaker. Why is this Chief Minister so keen to not only dis-empower himself but also the legislature,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh later told Excelsior that it is unfortunate that the opposition is not allowing the House to function. He said that the day to day issues and problems faced by the people are being raised in the Assembly and all issues can be discussed when their turn comes.
Sources said that soon after the Houses were adjourned, the BJP law makers meeting was held and Deputy Chief Minister told them to maintain cool as opposition parties are trying to provoke them. Some of the law makers were trying to react when the opposition MLAs raised slogans against Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in the House.
Similar scenes were witnessed in the Legislative Council where opposition NC and Congress members disrupted the proceedings forcing the Chairman of the Council to adjourn the House for the day.
As soon as Council proceedings started, the NC and Congress members raked up the issues of ban on sale and consumption of beef in the State and lack of rehabilitation of flood victims.
The NC had moved adjournment motion over the beef ban while the Congress had moved adjournment motion over issue of rehabilitation of flood victims. Separately, another adjournment motion was moved by Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Jugal Kishore over the imposition of service tax on pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra.
As the opposition members began uproar and sloganeering, the Chairman urged them to sit down on their seats and allow the House proceedings. The adamant members, however, continued to disrupt the House and waved the banners inscribed with slogans. “These questions are related to public. Please sit-down,” the Chairman told protesting Congress members in a bid to pacify them.
Continuing their protest, the Opposition NC and Congress members entered the well of the House and tried to storm the Chairman’s podium. Amid slogans against the ruling coalition, the Opposition members climbed the table of House reporters, tore papers and threw them towards the Chairman. The protesting NC and Congress members accused the Government of taking dictations from Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS). Failing to pacify the NC and Congress protesting members, the Chairman of Council adjourned the House for 10 minutes.
As the House started its proceeding after adjournment, the NC and Congress members again disrupted the question-answer session and stormed into the well of the House. The Chairman once again tried to convince the members but to no avail as they again climbed the reporters table. Those who climbed the table include Ali Mohammad Dar, Showkat Hussain Ganai, Qaiser Jamsheed Lone and Ghulam Nabi Monga. The members scuffled with marshals of the Council as the latter were preventing them from storming the podium. Due to uproar, the Chairman again adjourned the House for 10 minutes.
The NC and Congress members yet again started uproar in the Council soon after the Chairman started the proceedings. They, for the third time, entered into the well of the House and raised slogans against the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The protesting members demanded discussion over beef issue and rehabilitation of flood victims. The members didn’t allow the House to function and the Chairman – minutes after the Council had started its proceedings – adjourned the Upper House proceedings for the day.
After the adjournment of House, the National Conference MLC Bashir Ahmad Veeri told Excelsior that they wanted debate over “important issue” of beef and also the lack of rehabilitation of flood victims. “We had moved the adjournment motion as per rule. It (beef ban) was an important issue. We wanted this issue to be debated. Similarly, the Congress had moved adjournment motion over flood victims’ rehabilitation and we had extended support to them,” he said.
The NC MLC criticized the Government for approaching Supreme Court and said: “The legislature is supreme and there was no need to go to apex court. We wanted to ask the Government how this issue of beef ban got mishandled first and now why they went to Supreme Court.” He also accused the Chairman of Council of being “non-committal” towards the adjournment motions.
Asked whether they would continue to disrupt the Council proceedings, the NC MLC said: “We will continue to press for the discussion over these important issues tomorrow as well.”
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