Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 5: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today apologised in the Legislative Assembly for the intimidatory words used by Sports Minister Imran Ansari against opposition National Conference member Devender Rana in the House yesterday.
Intervening during heated exchanges between members of treasury benches and opposition, Mehbooba said the choice of words by some of the members was not appropriate. “Imran Ansari said something to opposition member yesterday. I want to apologise for that,” she said.
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The Chief Minister said although, as explained by Ansari and his Cabinet colleague Sajad Lone, the Minister did not mean to threaten Rana but the use of the word was inappropriate.
Rana who had sought directions from the Speaker for lodging an FIR against Ansari said he was thankful and greatful for the CM’s gesture. “I am very thankful and grateful to the Chief Minister for the gesture,” he said and put an end to heated exchange between him and Ansari.
Earlier supporting his party colleague, NC leader Mohammad Shafi Uri suggested that Speaker Kavinder Gupta seek expert advise from some criminal lawyer as what Ansari had said yesterday “comes under the ambit of criminal intimidation. It is not something that can be expunged or interpreted differently,” he said referring to Speaker’s earlier direction that all intimidatory and unparliamentary words be expunged from the record.
Earlier, the Speaker expunged the intimidatory and unparliamentary words used by the members of the House during heated exchanges yesterday and today and directed the media not to report them.
“All the derogatory words are expunged from the record and the media is also directed not to report these things,” the Speaker said.
“It is my hand-folded request to all the members not to use unparliamentary language. I apologise on behalf of all those who used the unparliamentary words. The members should exercise restrain while responding to statements,” he said.
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