By Sanjeev Pargal
Harshdev Singh, a former Minister even tore off the papers in the House before walking-out saying Jammu region was being discriminated in construction of roads. He asked Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar to rectify the mistake committed in ordering tenders for construction of the roads. He said the MLAs and not the Deputy Commissioners should be taken into confidence in identification of model villages.
At a time when most of the MLAs from the opposition benches were on their feet protesting on a variety of issues mainly what they called `pick and choose’ in sanction of model villages and discrimination with Jammu in construction of PMGSY roads, Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone had to intervene to ask the members to make decorum of the House and don’t convert it into ‘‘free for all’’.
‘‘You can ask for it (a supplementary, a question or raise any other issue) but there is a way. Eight to 10 MLAs can’t be allowed to speak on one question. I have asked Gaffar Sofi (PDP MLA) to raise the issue. Let him speak”, Mr Lone said as most of the MLAs from BJP, BJP rebels, Jammu State Morcha and even Congress including Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, Mohammad Sharief Niaz, Vakar Rasool, Ashok Bhagat and Krishan Chander Bhagat were on their feet on the issue of construction of PMGSY roads and model villages.
NC MLA Nazir Gurezi entered into arguments with the Speaker saying he was not being allowed to raise the issue.
“Don’t do this. You are no body to ask me whom I have to allow to speak”, an angry Speaker said as Mr Gurezi walked-out of the House.
Mr Lone said every MLA has a right to raise the query but there is a way out. “Here no body knows who is asking what as all MLAs stand up collectively. You have raised the issue of model villages. I have allowed Abdul Rehman Veeri, MLA PDP but all of you have started shouting”, he regretted.
Despite the statement by the Speaker, PDP chief whip Abdul Gaffar Sofi continued to shout saying he has first been allowed by the Chair to raise the issue but no body was listening to him. PDP MLA and former Minister Javed Mustafa Mir supported his party colleagues.
A shouting Gaffar Sofi was in middle of the House. PDP MLAs led by Mehbooba Mufti staged a walk-out in the Assembly. However, PDP MLA Peer Mansoor Shah didn’t join the walk-out as the Speaker had switched over to his question. Mansoor Shah left the House after raising the question and supplementaries.
The PDP MLAs were protesting against discrimination in allotment of model villages in the segments held by them.
After the PDP walk-out, NPP Legislature Party leader and former Minister Harshdev Singh, his colleague, Yashpal Kundal, JSM MLA Ashwani Sharma and BJP MLA Jugal Kishore were on their feet protesting discrimination with Jammu region in construction of PMGSY roads.
Harshdev displayed tenders in the House saying roads were being constructed in Kashmir with 75 mm thickness including 50 mm bitumen and 25 mm macadamisation while in Jammu only 20 mm bitumen would be laid.
‘‘As PMGSY is 100 per cent Government of India sponsored scheme, the State Government didn’t have to spend even a penny on it. Still it was a case of brazen and blatant discrimination with Jammu that thickness of roads in the Kashmir valley has been notified as 75 mm as against just 20 mm in Jammu.
‘‘If your officers were involved in it take action against them but such a sheer discrimination with Jammu would not be tolerated”, Mr Singh said as he tore off the papers, threw them in the House and staged a walk-out.
Mr Sagar assured the agitated MLAs that he would look into the issue and rectify if any wrong has been done.
JSM MLA Ashwani Sharma, NPP MLA Yashpal Kundal and BJP MLA Jugal Kishore also staged a walk-out on the issue. Mr Kishore had heated arguments with Mr Sagar before walking-out of the House.
BJP rebels including Prof Gharu Ram and Bharat Bushan also protested in the House on discrimination in sanction of the model villages and roads under PMGSY.
Earlier, the entire PDP staged a walk-out in the House when Speaker didn’t allow the PDP members to raise supplementaries on the issue of power.
‘‘The question pertained to Chenani. There is no scope for other MLAs to raise the supplementaries”, the Speaker said turning down the request of the PDP members to ask supplementaries on the question of MLA Chenani Krishan Chander Bhagat.
‘‘It (the power) may be a problem but here I won’t allow supplementaries”, Mr Lone said.
However, PDP Legislature Party leader Mehbooba Mufti said the electricity was problem of everybody and the party MLAs should be allowed to raise the issue.
All PDP MLAs led by Ms Mufti staged a walk-out as they were not allowed to raise supplementaries.
NC MLA from Kishtwar Sajjad Kitchloo said the PDP had its convention at Nagrota and that was why they had staged a walk-out.
BJP MLAs including Ashok Khajuria, Jugal Kishore, Sham Choudhary and Sukhnandan Choudhary also created uproar in the House on the issue of Roshni scheme. They said the Government had ignored genuine cases of Roshni.
‘‘Roshni has become `andhera’ (darkness)”, they remarked.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Legislative Assembly, PDP Legislature Party leader Mehbooba Mufti observed that there was nothing wrong in the demand for conversion of death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana into life term. Rajoana was facing death penalty in the killing of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh and was scheduled to be hanged on March 31.
‘‘There is no one bigger than Rajiv Gandhi. If Sonia Gandhi can ask for converting death sentence of Rajiv killer into life imprisonment, there is nothing wrong in doing so here in case of Rajoana.
‘‘Terror is to be dealt on humanitarian basis also. Death sentence is no solution”, Mehbooba said.
Asserting that corruption is a social issue, she supported social activist Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption.
“Corruption is a social issue. Politicians are at helm of affair in this country but they are facing maximum charges of corruption,” Ms Mufti said.
She said it is good that at this age, Hazare is fighting against the menace adding, “Anna is supported by public because common man was fed up with corruption.”
The PDP leader alleged that no work is done in any department without ‘bribing’ the officials adding, “money is required for getting employment, development of the area and everywhere we go today.”
Hazare is fighting against corruption and this is high time, she said adding, “We must support his crusade against corruption.”
Ms Mufti sought registration of FIR against Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association president Dr Farooq Abdullah in connection with embezzlement of funds.
“Some of the members of the working committee of JKCA also want Dr Abdullah to quit as association head,” she said.
Dr Abdullah ‘misused’ JKCA funds for his personal benefits, Ms Mufti said, adding, that funds worth crores of rupees were being sanctioned by the BCCI to the JKCA for the welfare of the cricket every year but it is unfortunate that they were ‘misappropriated’ by the association head for his personal use.”
Mehbooba further alleged that registration of case against JKCA general secretary Ahsan Mirza is a ‘drama’.
“The police have been directed by the JKCA president to lodge FIR against the general secretary but no action was initiated further,” she alleged and added that the JKCA president himself is not clear on distribution of funds and he should also be ‘booked’ for embezzlement of funds.
The PDP leader added that Dr Abdullah was in London to attend Indo-Pak summit on June 26-27 last year when the transaction of funds was made.
“If former IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi, DMK MP Kanimozhi and former Telecom Minister A Raja can face action for corruption, then what were the reasons that Dr Abdullah is being treated as holy cow and no action has been initiated as yet against him,” she added.
Asserting that corruption has reached its height in the State, Mehbooba said: ‘‘everybody from top to bottom, including the Chief Minister and his brigade of Ministers and ruling party’s legislators were involved in the menace.’’
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