4 members, 2 from NC, stay away from meeting
*Deadline of budget session a tough task to meet
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 1: In its first meeting on Day 1 of New Year, the Rules Committee formed for framing `Business Rules’ for Jammu and Kashmir Assembly failed to make any major breakthrough in the absence of four members out of a total of nine but it was decided that they will have comprehensive look on Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 and subsequent amendments in it before going ahead.
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Headed by Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather as ex-officio Chairman, the Committee has eight other members but only four of them made it to the first sitting including Mubarak Gul, former Speaker (NC), Pawan Gupta, former Minister (BJP), MY Tarigami (CPM) and Nizam-ud-Din Bhat (Congress).
The absentees include Saifullah Mir, former Law Minister and Hasnain Masoodi, ex MP and Retired Judge of the High Court (both NC), Ranbir Singh Pathania (BJP) and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, Independent MLA from Thannamandi, also a retired Judge.
Insiders told the Excelsior that the meeting held in the Speaker’s chamber proceeded as there was a quorum despite four abstentions and there was consensus that reference to Constitution of J&K will be deleted as it no more exists while all members will have in-depth study of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 and subsequent amendments in it before the next meeting to draft the rules.
“We are now a Union Territory and this is a reality. We have to go by this,” one of the Members was quoted as saying in the meeting. However, another member said if the rules are framed now and after few months the Statehood is granted to Jammu and Kashmir the fresh exercise will have to be conducted again. All these aspects should be taken into consideration before undertaking the exercise, he reportedly said.
Delhi and Puducherry models, the only two other Union Territories with Legislature, will also be taken into consideration while framing rules for the Jammu and Kashmir Legislature.
While the Legislative Assembly order for forming nine-member Committee specifically mentioned that the new Rules will be framed before budget session of the Legislature, some of the members, however, were non-committal on whether such an extensive exercise will be completed within a month and a half as the budget session has to start in the middle of February.
However, they cited provision in the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 that the Legislative Assembly can function as per existing rules till new rules are framed. First budget session of the Legislature from November 4-8 last year was held in Srinagar as per the rules already in place.
The PDP which has three MLAs from Kashmir has not been given representation in the Business Rules Committee.
The Panel has been mandated to finalize the draft Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly prior to the commencement of the ensuing budget session.
The draft Business Rules will be placed before the Legislative Assembly.
The framing of ‘Business Rules’ for the House were necessitated after erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was divested of its special status under Article 370 and was divided into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 was passed on August 5, 2019 by the Parliament in which among other subjects the Legislative Assembly was allowed to function on existing Rules till new ‘Business Rules’ are framed for running the House after the State was converted into the UT.
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