Rather’s name cleared for Speaker
*BJP not to be offered Dy Speaker’s post
Neeraj Rohmetra
JAMMU, Nov 2: The National Conference Legislature Party (NCLP) will meet in Srinagar at 6.30 PM tomorrow under the chairmanship of Chief Minister and NCLP leader Omar Abdullah to discuss the party stand on Lieutenant Governor’s Address to the Legislative Assembly and other issues in first session of the House beginning November 4.
Click Here To Join Daily Excelsior on WhatsApp And Get Latest News
All legislators of the National Conference will attend the meeting which will also finalize name of the Speaker Legislative Assembly whose election is scheduled to be held at 10.30 AM in the House on November 4, an hour before first address of the Lieutenant Governor to the newly elected legislators.
Party insiders told the Excelsior that name of veteran National Conference leader Abdul Rahim Rather was tonight cleared as the new Speaker in view of his vast experience in the Legislature.
Rather has been elected as MLA for seventh term and is also oldest legislator in first Legislative Assembly of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory. He has served as the Finance Minister and has distinction of presenting many budgets in the National Conference as well as NC-led coalition Governments.
However, the National Conference Government will not be offering post of the Deputy Speaker to main Opposition party-the BJP on the ground that this could have repercussions for the party in the Kashmir valley.
Initially, there were reports that the NC Government is likely to offer post of the Deputy Speaker to the BJP which has emerged as second largest party and main opposition with 29 seats, now reduced to 28, following demise of senior party leader and MLA Nagrota Devender Singh Rana.
“Post of the Deputy Speaker is likely to remain vacant for some time,” the NC insiders said.
The PDP-BJP coalition Government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had offered the post of Deputy Speaker to the National Conference in 2015. NC leader Nazir Gurezi was elected as the Deputy Speaker.
The possibility of the BJP forcing election of the Speaker if it is not offered post of the Deputy Speaker is not ruled out though the NC with its five Independent allies commands majority in the House and with the help of six Congress MLAs surpasses figure of the majority.
Insiders said the National Conference Legislature Party meeting will discuss the issues to be raised during debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Lieutenant Governor’s Address. Other issues that could come up during Legislature proceedings will also be discussed in the meeting.
The NC will finalize its strategy to counter the issues which the Opposition, mainly the BJP, can take up in the House.
NC is the single largest party in the Assembly with 41 MLAs while Congress with six legislators and five Independents are supporting the Government.
LG Manoj Sinha will address first Assembly session of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory at 11.30 AM on November 4 in Srinagar while election of the Speaker is scheduled for 10.30 AM the same day.
Five-day Assembly session will have obituary references on November 5 while debate on Motion of Thanks will take place on November 6, 7 and 8.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will reply to the debate on November 8.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
