Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Legislative Assembly was adjourned on Thursday after heated exchanges between members of different political parties.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather adjourned the House for 15 minutes because he could not maintain order due to the ruckus created by the BJP MLAs, who protested against the passing of the restoration of Article 370 resolution on Wednesday.
BJP leaders have said that the passing of the resolution for restoring Article 370 is unconstitutional and illegal after the country’s Parliament abrogated the article and the Supreme Court of India upheld the action. They argue that the resolution is a direct challenge to the decisions made at the national level.
The BJP’s protest in the Assembly received a strongly worded response from the ruling NC MLAs and others who voted in support of the resolution.
The situation escalated further after BJP members voiced strong opinions on the Special Status once granted under Article 370 to J&K.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather’s Efforts to Restore Order in the Assembly
BJP MLAs have asserted that they will not allow the Assembly to function till the resolution is withdrawn.
The J&K Assembly passed the resolution for restoring Article 370 yesterday. The resolution was moved by the Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary, and seconded by NC leader and minister Sakina Masood.
The government moved the resolution on the third day of the Assembly’s current session.
BJP leader Sunil Sharma, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, strongly resented the move, holding that when the House’s business was a debate on the Lieutenant Governor’s address, how could the government move such a resolution?
The resolution moved by the government said, “This Assembly reaffirms the importance of the special and constitutional guarantees, which safeguarded the identity, culture and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and expresses concern over the unilateral removal.
“This Assembly calls upon the Government of India to initiate dialogue with elected representatives of people of J&K for restoration of special status and constitutional guarantees and to work out the constitutional mechanisms for restoring these provisions.
“This Assembly emphasises that any process for restoration must safeguard both national unity and the legitimate aspirations of the people of J&K”.
The move evoked strong opposition and uproar from BJP leader Sunil Sharma, who said amid din in the House, “When business was about discussion on LG’s address, how was this resolution moved.”
Independent MLAs Sheikh Khurshid Ahmed, Shabir Ahmad, and Sajad Lone of the PC and three MLAs of the PDP supported the resolution.
Speaker Rather put the motion to vote, and the majority of the House passed it.
Chaos continued in the Assembly, after which the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
The passing of the resolution seeking restoration of statehood to J&K by the ruling NC would constitutionally have little impact, but at the political level, it has brought the J&K government into direct confrontation with the Centre.
Article 370 and 35A were abrogated by the country’s Parliament on August 5, 2019, and a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court upheld the Parliament’s power to do so.
–IANS
