Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 25: Legislative Assembly today witnessed uproarious scenes and walk-out over discrimination with some constituencies in the grant of roads under National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and misuse of power by a Senior Minister to nurse his own constituency at the cost of others.
The uproarious scenes from the MLAs of BJP’s breakaway group started when PDF MLA, Hakeem Mohd Yaseen alleged discrimination with various constituencies in the Budgam district in the grant of NABARD roads.
“As per the norms each constituency should have been granted one road under NABARD but one constituency in Budgam district has been granted 15 roads in violation of the norms while as there is only one each road in other constituencies of the district”, he said, adding “I want a specific reply from the R&B Minister about the reason behind such discrimination”.
As R&B Minister, Abdul Majid Wani could not give satisfactory reply to the query of PDF MLA, the latter said, “this has to be investigated as such discrimination leads to alienation”, adding “I have brought the discrimination to the notice of this House as well as Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah with the hope that justice will be done with other constituencies”.
In order to pacify the agitated MLA, the R&B Minister said that he doesn’t know about it as he had recently taken the command of the Ministry and he will look into the matter.
In the meantime, BJP’s break-away group MLAs—Baldev Sharma, Durga Dass, Prof Gharu and Master Lal Chand stood up in protest and stressed that either PDF MLA or R&B Minister should disclose the name of constituency. “This is not a minor issue…Some constituencies are being preference at the cost of others and we are not going to tolerate this”, Bharat Bhushan said.
However, neither the PDF MLA nor the Minister disclosed the name of the constituency of the Budgam district. This infuriated the BJP rebel MLAs, who left their seats and moved towards the front row in protest.
“Disclose the name of constituency as this is a grave issue… we have repeatedly been saying that Ministers have been nursing their constituencies at the cost of others”, they said and started raising slogans “Bandar Baant Nahin Chalegi….Bandar Bant Band Karo”. Though the Minister again assured to look into the issue, the agitating MLAs staged walk out while expressing dis-satisfaction over the response of the Government on the grave issue.
Earlier, in reply to the main question of PDF MLA, the R&B Minister informed the House about the road-wise status of works undertaken during the current financial year in the Budgam district.
Meanwhile, National Panthers Party MLA, Balwant Singh Mankotia staged walk-out after being denied opportunity by the Speaker to raise supplementary on the question relating to development of tourism sector in Jammu division.
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