Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 19: Opposition PDP members today held strong protest in the Upper House of J&K Legislature and boycotted the House for entire session on the plea that Chairman did not act on their adjournment motion on Afzal Guru issue to hold discussion and rejected the privileged motion on the issue of an objectionable and defamatory report appearing in a Kashmir based newspaper against members of this House from PDP and also against the party Supremo.
Immediately after the Legislative Council started its routine business with the Question Hour in the morning, the opposition PDP members Mohammed Ashraf Mir, Sayed Asgar Ali and newly elected member Yash Pal Sharma stood up and pointed out that a newspaper has carried a highly objectionable story on front page creating doubts among the masses over the PDP leadership and also tried to defame this House by raising finger against it. Mr Mir while waving the newspaper in the House demanded that privilege motion be initiated against the person/ persons including editor who tried to malign the party and damage the sanctity of this House. He said in the report it has been alleged that PDP leadership was adopting double standards and also raised finger about the credibility of the members of the party sitting in the Upper House, alleging that there was boycott by PDP in Assembly while in Legislative Council, they were attending the proceedings. He said an attempt has been made to create wedge in the party and defame the members of this House.
The chairman asked the PDP members that he was not aware what was written in the paper and moreover, he will look into their demand after Question Hour is over. He also asked them that there are ways to move privileged motion as well. As the Chairman did not bother towards their plea and asked them to sit down and asked the member Master Noor Hussain to raise his Question, the PDP members got more agitated. Sayed Asgar Ali said if ‘Chair’ is unconcerned about protection of their rights then what for they were there in the House. They alleged that their voice is not heard in this House and if Chairman being custodian of this House, is not bothered then they will boycott the House.
Then all the three members moved to the “well” of the House and started holding protest. Sayed Asgar Ali then said that they had moved adjournment motion in the House as per rules seeking discussion on Afzal Guru’s issue but unfortunately despite assurance by the ‘Chair’ the discussion was not allowed. “We have been waiting here in the House that Chairman will hold discussion but nothing happened. He said if you have to run the House in this way then there was no purpose to sit here. The sanctity of this house was being allowed to be eroded,” Mr Ali maintained.
Then Congress members Jugal Kishore, Naresh Gupta and Ravinder Sharma intervened and said that time of the House was being wasted unnecessarily by raising irrelevant issues. This irked the PDP members and they exchanged heated arguments for some time. The Chairman tried to restore order in the House but failed repeatedly. He made them clear that they had two options either to sit in the House calmly or walk-out. The members continued to protest and then declared that if they are not listened in the House then there was no purpose of sitting there. The proceedings remained disrupted in the House for about nine (9) minutes. They declared that they would boycott the House for entire budget session and then walked-out.
Later, talking to Excelsior, Mr Asgar Ali referred to the report in which NC’s additional general secretary and spokesman, Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal has raised some allegations against PDP members of the Upper House and party leadership of double standards.
Follow our WhatsApp channel