Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 6: Just ended 18 days budget session of the State Legislature, which was last budget session of present National Conference-Congress dispensation with Assembly elections due in November-December this year, was given a big miss by senior leaders of ruling Alliance partners as well as the major Opposition party indicating “non-serious approach” of major political parties towards the elected House.
While the Government had already curtailed 26 to 27 days budget session to 18 days this year in anticipation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the Election Commission of India after which the budget and bills can’t be passed, even the small session was taken “very casually” with not only the Ministers but even the MLAs playing truant in the Assembly prompting the Presiding Officers to adjourn the House due to lack of quorum.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, former Deputy Chief Minister and PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig and his party colleague Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, who could have given a direction to the House and made the debates serious, were “rare visitors” to the House, which clearly indicated that neither the Alliance partners nor the major Opposition party were “serious in the House”.
The Chief Minister attended the House during the day of debate and reply on Governor’s Address, passing of the grants of his Departments, presentation of budget and couple of other occasion. Almost similar was the case with Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand. Worse, former Chief Minister and PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed made just one appearance in the House for an hour when Mr Baig initiated debate on the general budget.
Mr Baig, former Deputy Chief Minister, who had earlier held the portfolios of Finance, Planning and Development, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, also appeared in the House only twice-first on the day of presentation of budget by Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather and second when he initiated debate on the budget. Senior PDP leader and former Minister Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari also made a single appearance in the House.
However, PDP Legislature Party leader Mehbooba Mufti led her party MLAs well in the House and managed to cash on each and every issue that came their way in 18 days long session. With 2014 being the year of elections when Jammu and Kashmir would have both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the PDP took on National Conference aggressively and didn’t spare the Congress either on the issues of significance.
The BJP back as a strong group in the current session with nine MLAs hardly made any different with its two senior leaders remained reluctant, as usual, to take on the coalition Government. The party even failed its strong vote bank of Kashmiri Pandits, who had been championing the cause of the BJP at national arena, by openly opposing Kashmiri Shrines bill in the House.
However, it was three members group of National Panthers Party and lone Jammu State Morcha MLA, which forcefully pleaded the cause of discrimination with Jammu and addressing the issues refugees etc. Though the BJP did raise these issues also, its approach towards the Government was “visibly soft” and it seemed that they were raising the issue to stage walk-out and make a news.
The CPM and PDF MLAs were also successful in raking up the issues that mattered.
While Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Choudhary Aslam, MLA Surankote was unable to attend the House due to illness, the Congress MLAs too failed to make any impact with some of them like Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, former Minister playing the role of opposition and others staying neutral as part of the `coalition dharma’.
Surprisingly, both the Alliance partners didn’t come to the rescue of each other on being targeted by the opposition. With Congress under attack right from start of the House on molestation charges against its leader and former Minister Shabir Khan, the NC members played safe when the party was under attack. Similar was the case with Congress, whose members didn’t react when PDP launched blistering attack on NC president and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Dr Farooq Abdullah for allegedly calling Kashmiris as `Maha Chor’.
The Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister apart, even the Ministers played hide and seek in the Assembly and on a number of occasions, everything was left to Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saifullah Mir to handle. Be it the Call Attention Notices, private member’s bills and private member’s resolution, Saifullah Mir was left to reply to all of them till he had to leave the House three to four days back due to some family problem.
“Where is the concerned Ministers”? was the common voice from Opposition members as other Ministers replied to their Questions, Call Attention Notices, private member’s bills and resolutions citing “joint responsibility” of the Government. On a number of times, the Ministers were unable to satisfy the members as the queries didn’t pertain to their departments.
Even in just 18 days session, the “non-serious approach” of both treasury benches and the Opposition could be well gauged from the fact that nearly half a dozen times, the Presiding Officers had to adjourn the House for lack of quorum. Twenty-three members constituted quorum in 89 members Assembly. On a number of times, the Presiding officers had to force the members leaving the House to stay back to maintain quorum.
A new trend was seen in the session with most of the MLAs seen leaving the House after raising their issue or participating in the debate reducing strength of the members and forcing the Presiding Officer to adjourn the House.
The budget session would also go in the history as the “rare session” in which grants of four to six Ministers were passed in the single day. This was done as the Government wanted to pass the budget as early as possible especially before the imposition of Model Code of Conduct by the Election Commission of India.
The Government’s “non-serious approach” on serious issues can also be gauged from the fact that much awaited bill to amend the Panchayati Raj Act by incorporating major provisions of 73rd amendment of the Constitution of India in the State Act was introduced in the Assembly around 12 noon on last day of the session and passed within four hours without any debate or discussion.
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