Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Oct 7: The suspension of four legislators of National Conference (NC) from Legislative Assembly and Council was revoked today after Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Opposition legislators request but the NC legislators didn’t return to the Houses today.
As the Legislative Assembly proceedings started in the morning today, MLA Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami of CPI (M) and Independent MLA Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen requested the Speaker of the House, Kavinder Gupta to revoke the suspension order of the two NC legislators.
Congress MLA Usman Majid also stood up and requested the Speaker to suspend the revocation of the suspension order of the two NC MLAs. Congress MLA Aijaz Khan also requested for revocation of the suspension order.
Soon after the opposition request, Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, urged the Speaker to revoke suspension of two NC legislators, who were suspended yesterday for disrupting the proceedings of the House.
“Opposition’s role is to oppose, depose and expose,” said Mufti. He lauded the role of Speaker for conducting the House. He said with NC boycotting the rest of the Autumn Session, a healthy debate on important issues concerning the people cannot be deliberated upon.
Mufti said the Legislature is the right forum to discuss all issues of public importance. “If they won’t raise their voice here where would they raise. On roads”, he asked.
Describing democracy as a battle of ideas, Chief Minister asked NC legislators to reconsider their decision and return to the Legislature. “We are here to debate. The Government wants to respond to their queries,” he added.
Appreciating the role of the Speaker in trying to restore order in the House for the last two days, Mufti recalled the constructive role played by PDP while it was in the opposition. “Amidst utter pandemonium, you tried to restore the dignity of the House,” he said, while referring to frequent adjournments of the House proceedings due to ruckus created by the opposition.
Later, the Speaker revoked suspension of the two NC legislators, Altaf Ahmad Wani and Abdul Majeed Bhat. MLA Tarigami was sent to convey the NC members who were protesting outside the House to return as the revocation of the suspension has been suspended by the Speaker.
Later, Tarigami told the House that the NC legislators will return once the suspension of the two law makers from Legislative Council is revoked. However, they didn’t return to the House for the day even after Chairman of the Legislative Council Anayat Ali revoked the suspension of two NC MLCs, Ali Mohammad Dar and Showkat Ganai.
The NC legislators with black arm bands protested this morning outside Legislative Assembly against the suspension of its 4 law makers form the Assembly and Council yesterday after they came into Well of the Houses and stood on the Assembly and Council reporters’ desks.
The protesting law makers included former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and senior leaders Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mubarak Gul and others.
The NC law makers have decided to return the Houses tomorrow after the suspension of four law makers was revoked by Speaker and Chairman of the Assembly and Council.
In the meantime, Congress members stood up at their seats, displaying placards that read “Stop innocent killings”. The members sought an adjournment of the normal proceedings so that the law and order situation in the State could be discussed in the House.
Tarigami and Yaseen also stood up and said that they have brought adjournment motion and demanded discussion on regularization of dailywagers and contractual employees and on growing unemployment in the State.
Speaker disallowed the adjournment motions of Congress and Tarigami saying that the session is very short and there are important issues to be discussed. He asked them to raise these issues during zero hour.
Angered by the rejection of their Adjournment motion, the Congress members walked out of the House shouting slogans that innocent people were being killed due to border firing in the State.
Meanwhile, Independent member Engineer Rashid jumped into the Well of the House, accusing the Speaker of bias. He also said it has become a case of tacit understanding between the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference to share power by turns in the State.
The Legislative Council Chairman also revoked the suspension order of two MLCs of opposition National Conference (NC) while the Congress members staged a walkout after their adjournment motion was disallowed.
As soon as the business of the House began at 11 AM, the Congress MLC Ghulam Nabi Monga urged the Chairman Anayat Ali to revoke the suspension of two NC MLCs, Ali Mohammad Dar and Showkat Ganai and he was seconded by his other party men.
In the meantime, the Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh stood up from his seat and said that the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said that there should be healthy opposition in the House. The Deputy CM told the Chairman that Mufti has requested him to revoke the suspension order of NC MLCs.
After hearing the Deputy CM, the Chairman while justifying his order of suspending the NC MLCs said: “These acts (sitting atop table as was done by NC MLCs) should not be repeated. I revoke the suspension order,” he said.
Following the announcement by Chairman, the Congress MLCs stood from their seats and demanded suspension of the Question hour and sought discussion over the ‘hike’ in power tariff. The Congress MLCs waved banners which read: “we oppose hike in power tariff” and continued sloganeering. “We will give you 30 minutes for this,” the Chairman in a bid to pacify the members said but they continued their protest amid chants.
Though the Question hour was underway but the Congress MLCs continued with their protest and demand of suspending the business. With no response from Chairman, the Congress members staged a walk out from the House.
On the other side, Ghulam Nabi Monga was sent by House to inform the NC members about the revocation of the suspension of party’s two MLCs. As the Monga and another Congress MLC returned to House, they found none of their party colleagues and they also staged a walk-out after exchanging heated arguments with the members of ruling party.
Notwithstanding the absence of Opposition, the business of the House continued till 1.35 pm during which private members’ resolutions were taken up for discussion. Out of 7 resolutions, only one was passed by the House. Later, the House was adjourned for one day.
Meanwhile, the National Conference has decided to re-join the House proceedings from tomorrow as the Chairman revoked suspension orders. The NC MLCs said that they would move an adjournment motion tomorrow over security scenario in the Upper House.
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