Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 3: Legislative Assembly today witnessed pandemonium during Ques-tion Hour with entire Opposition protesting thrice in Well of the House and majority of time from their seats, shouting slogans, throwing papers and targeting Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who was present in the House, after their Adjournment Motions seeking suspension of today’s business in the House to discuss human rights violations, civilian killings etc were disallowed by Speaker Kavinder Gupta, who permitted one hour discussion on the subjection after the Question Hour. Click here to watch video
Ready for debate on the proposal mooted by Gupta, the Opposition members, however, insisted that it should be taken up immediately in the House by suspending the Question Hour but the Speaker said he would allow debate after the Question Hour is over. This led to stalemate and the Opposition continued with protests and finally staged walk-out in the House as soon as the Question Hour was over.
The Opposition later announced boycott of the Legislative Assembly proceedings for the day in protest against rejection of their adjournment motions. This forced the Speaker to cancel second sitting of the Assembly today as the Opposition benches were empty with all members of National Conference, Congress, CPM and other smaller groups abstaining from the House proceedings after the walk-out.
While NC Legislature Party leader and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah didn’t attend the Assembly today, National Conference member Ali Mohammad Sagar was quick to remind Mehbooba Mufti that she used to disrupt the Assembly proceedings for entire session in protest against just one killing along with her party when they were in the Opposition.
“Now, when you are the Chief Minister, you are not allowing us even discussion on a number of killings that have taken place,’’ Sagar, joined by NC members Mian Altaf, Mohammad Akbar Lone, Devender Rana and Congress MLAs including Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, Usmaan Majeed and others, shouted in the House.
There was trouble in the Assembly right from 10 am when the House proceedings began with NC and Congress MLAs apart from CPM veteran MY Tarigami, PDF MLA Hakim Mohammad Yasin and Independent Engineer Abdul Rashid on their feet, wanting to know fate of the Adjournment Motions moved by them, from the Speaker.
While NC, Congress and PDF had moved Adjournment Motions seeking suspension of today’s business in the House to discuss “human rights violations’’ and “civilian killings’’, Tarigami wanted discussion on “acute power crisis’’ in the Kashmir valley.
After few minutes, the Speaker announced that he has disallowed the Adjournment Motions but assured the agitated Opposition members that they can speak on the subjects (mentioned in the motions) during debate on the Governor’s Address, which was also scheduled to start at 11 am today after the Question Hour.
Congress MLA from Inderwal GM Saroori shouted that there was no mention of “human rights violations’’ and “civilian killings’’ in the Governor’s Address and, therefore, their Adjournment Motions should have been admitted.
Tarigami said the Adjournment Motions meant “issues of very serious nature’’ and they can’t be clubbed with the debate. He favoured separate debate on the motions by admitting them.
NC’s Mian Altaf said killings have become a routine in Kashmir. “Only a day before, five CRPF personnel were killed. What else is more important than discussion on the killings,’’ he asserted. His party colleague, Ali Mohammad Sagar referred to the statement of Director General of Police Dr Shesh Pal Vaid that backbone of the militancy has been broken. “What are the facts? We want to know. Whether the Government has ‘wrong assessment’ of the situation? This is a serious issue.
Don’t take it lightly,’’ Sagar remarked.
NC MLA Devender Singh Rana said the Government was holding Assembly session after a year.
“Even after the year, the Government is now allowing us to speak. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed used to say Opposition is the essence of democracy. What type of situation is this? Our voice is being muzzled,’’ Rana said. He went on saying all three regions of Kashmir were crying on host of issues and the MLAs are not being allowed to raise voice of the people inside the House.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri charged the Opposition members with “wasting time of the House’’.
“All of them are senior members. They know procedure of the House. They are not interested in debating serious issues of the public during Question Hour. They should have given notice for the debate,’’ Veeri said. The Opposition members remarked that they have already given the motions. Veeri replied that the motions have been disallowed and the Speaker should go ahead with the Question Hour.
There was massive sloganeering by Opposition members in the House like ‘Human Rights Violations Ka Jawaab Do (answer the human rights violations)’, ‘Human Rights Violations Bandh Karo, Bandh Karo (stop human rights violations)’.
Kavinder Gupta, however, went ahead with the Question Hour. While some members raised the questions and Ministers gave replies, their voices were, most of the times, lost in the din created by the slogan-shouting Opposition members.
After 35 minutes of protests, NC and Congress members trooped into Well of the House. Engineer Rashid was already in the Well. However, Tarigami and Hakim Yasin kept protesting from their seats.
Former Speaker and NC MLA Mubarak Gul said their adjournment motion was well within the Rules and it should have been accepted.
The Speaker said he would allow one hour discussion on the issues raised by the Opposition members but after the Question Hour. However, the Opposition MLAs were unrelenting insisting that the Question Hour should be suspended and discussion taken up immediately.
Thrice, the NC and Congress members trooped into the Well and indulged in shouting slogans. One of the NC MLAs tore papers in the Well and flung them in air.
However, when the Question Hour was about to end, all NC and Congress MLAs besides MY Tarigami, Hakim Yasin and Engineer Rashid staged walk-out from the House.
Later, they decided to abstain from the House proceedings for the day and didn’t join debate on Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s Address. This forced the Speaker to cancel second sitting of the House.
Speaking to reporters after the walk-out, former Speaker and NC MLA Mubarak Gul said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in his Independence Day Address last year, said ‘Goli Say Naheen, Galay Lagane Say Samasaya Hal Hogi’. However, he said, the assurance hasn’t been implemented on ground.
“Kashmir is a political problem and should be solved politically. Situation is deteriorating. The Government should awake,’’ he added.
“We moved two adjournment motions, one on human rights violations and another on the crisis the people of Kashmir are facing because of inadequate supply of electricity in this harsh winter,” CPI(M) legislator M Y Tarigami told reporters.
“The very nature of the issues, in our opinion, warranted a discussion and adjournment of business but the Speaker did not allow it and that is why we staged a walkout,” he added.
Tarigami said the Speaker called for a one-hour discussion only after the members entered the Well. Even then, he continued to vacillate, adding to the chaos, Tarigami said. He added that the Opposition was not disrupting the House and had moved Adjournment Motions in accordance with procedure. It would continue with its demand for a thorough discussion on issues.
“The House met after a gap of one year. It is imperative to discuss the prevailing situation in the State,” added National Conference MLA Devender Rana.
“This Government is inefficient as a result of which even ruling party MLAs are walking out,” he said, referring to BJP legislator Sukhnandan Choudhary.
The Government, he said, was aware that its failures would get highlighted if there was a discussion and was trying to suppress the opposition’s voice.
Independent MLA Rasheed said he wanted to raise the issue of the gag on the use of social media by Government employees. He also accused the NC and Congress of enacting a “drama” on the human rights situation.
Meanwhile, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Abdul Rehman Veeri today met the Opposition and urged them to attend the proceedings of the House. He asked them to actively participate in the discussion on Motion of Thanks on Governor’s Address.
The Minister met the opposition soon after they walked out from the House demanding special debate on human rights violations.
Veeri urging the opposition to attend the House said that the democratic process dedicated for the welfare of populous, is incomplete without the involvement of all public representatives.
Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmad Gurezi also appealed the members of opposition to be the part of proceedings of the House.
While chairing the proceedings in the House, he requested the Opposition to join the discussion for their valuable inputs and in the larger public interest.
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