SRINAGAR The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed fresh uproar on Tuesday over the resolution seeking restoration of full statehood, with Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma questioning Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather’s decision to allow the measure and BJP legislators later staging a walkout.
At the start of proceedings, Sharma alleged that the Speaker had allowed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s resolution despite what he described as advice from the Law Department that the resolution was “unconstitutional”. He said the BJP had moved a motion seeking the Speaker’s removal on Monday and left it to Rather’s conscience to decide whether to step down.
“I leave it to the conscience of the Speaker to step down from the chair,” Sharma said.
The remarks triggered a response from the treasury benches, with ruling members raising slogans against the Opposition. Speaker Rather asked members to take their seats and defended his handling of the proceedings.
“I know what my powers and functions as a Speaker are. There is a procedure for it, which I informed you yesterday. Do not teach me how to function,” Rather said.
Addressing BJP MLA R.S. Pathania, Rather referred to Rule 215, saying a motion seeking the removal of the Speaker could be entered in the list of business only after 14 days of its submission. He said he had not yet seen the motion referred to by the BJP. The same procedural position had been stated by the Speaker on Monday.
As BJP members continued raising slogans, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said the Assembly was meant for discussion and not sloganeering. He criticised the BJP for not participating in the previous day’s debate on the statehood resolution and urged the Opposition to present its position in the House.
When the Speaker proceeded with Question Hour, BJP legislators staged a walkout.
The confrontation came a day after the Assembly passed Omar Abdullah’s resolution calling for the urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The resolution was adopted amid strong protests and a walkout by BJP members, who had objected particularly to references to earlier Assembly resolutions.
The BJP has maintained that it supports restoration of statehood but objects to the language and references contained in the resolution, while the ruling benches have defended the measure and its wording.
