Srinagar, Sep 28: Proceedings of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly were repeatedly disrupted on Monday as ruling National Conference members and opposition BJP legislators traded slogans amid a continuing protest by BJP members in the Well of the House.
The uproar disrupted Question Hour, with members from both sides raising slogans against each other.
Amid the sloganeering, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary urged Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to take note of the language used by Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma against Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Choudhary demanded that Sharma apologise for his remarks against the Chief Minister.
As the protests continued, BJP legislator Vikram Randhawa and another BJP member, along with Congress MLAs Irfan Hafiz Lone and Iftikhar, were marshalled out of the House amid the din.
Several BJP members continued to remain in the Well and raise slogans. Choudhary described their conduct as “hooliganism”.
Appealing to the protesting members to maintain discipline, Speaker Rather said, “You have come here to represent people. Maintain discipline in the House.”
His remarks prompted BJP legislators to raise slogans against the Speaker.
National Conference MLA from Gurez, Nazir Ahmad Gurezi, defended the Speaker and criticised the BJP members for their conduct.
“They (BJP) resort to hooliganism. You are patient enough to bear them in the House,” Gurezi said, addressing the Speaker.
The confrontation came amid a larger dispute over Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s resolution seeking restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking on the resolution, NC MLA from Zadibal Tanvir Sadiq criticised the BJP’s objections to the wording of the resolution and its references to earlier Assembly resolutions.
Sadiq said the BJP had previously been in government at the Centre with a party that had spoken about “self-rule” and “dual currency”, but had not raised objections at the time.
He accused the BJP of creating a ruckus in the House without properly reading the resolution.
The statehood resolution has emerged as a major flashpoint in the ongoing Assembly session, with the BJP objecting to portions of its language and references to earlier resolutions, while the ruling benches have defended the demand for restoration of full statehood.
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