*Shameful behaviour of elected representatives: Omar
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 11: A complete pandemonium and unruly scenes prevailed in the Legislative Assembly today with entire Opposition creating massive uproar over what they called biased approach of the Government in creation of new administrative units in the State. Scuffles took place repeatedly between PDP MLAs and watch and ward staff of the Assembly leading to injuries to PDP MLA from Tral Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, who was immediately shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu.
After three adjournments failed to defuse the situation with PDP MLAs flinging chairs and throwing tables of the Assembly Secretary and Reporters in the Well of the House dislodging mikes and shouting slogans in support of creation of more administrative units, Speaker Mubarak Gul adjourned the House for the day at 12.31 pm, leading to complete wash out of today’s proceedings in the Lower House.
No business could be transacted in the Assembly as entire Opposition including the PDP, BJP, NPP and JSM apart from Independent legislator Engineer Rashid remained on their feet whenever the House resumed sitting after being adjourned thrice by the Speaker amidst complete ruckus with MLAs shouting slogans, displaying placards, jumping atop the table of reporters in the Well of the House, staging dharna throwing chairs, tables and mikes and trying to march towards the Speaker’s podium in support of their demand for creation of more administrative units.
The Question Hour was completely lost in the din though Mr Gul tried to take two questions. He passed some legislative business like nominating the Panel of Chairmen for the session and asked NC leader and former Minister Abdul Gani Malik to initiate discussion on Motion of Thanks to Governor’s Address but nothing was audible in the din. No debate took place on Governor Address today, barring few lines spoken by Mr Malik, which too were not audible to anyone.
The discussion on Governor’s Address was scheduled to last in the two sittings today but it virtually failed to start. Official sources said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would reply to the debate on Governor’s Address tomorrow as Finance Minister had to present the budget on February 13. The Government has worked out a strategy to ensure the Chief Minister’s reply to Governor’s Address on Wednesday and Mr Rather’s budget on Thursday.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who described Opposition’s behaviour as “shameful”, visited the GMC Jammu along with NC provincial presidents for Jammu and Kashmir-Devender Rana and Nasir Aslam Wani respectively and inquired condition of injured PDP MLA Mushtaq Ahmad Shah. They also visited the CCU in the GMC to see CPM MLA MY Tarigami, who was admitted there early today after complaint of chest pain.
PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Sham Lal Sharma and Minister of State for Home Sajjad Kitchloo also visited the injured Legislator.
Hospital sources said the condition of Mr Shah was stable. He underwent several tests and was diagnosed with soft tissue injury on back. He has been admitted in Emergency Ward of the Hospital. This was for the first time in past many years that a MLA was injured in the scuffle inside the Assembly and had to be lifted out of the Assembly on shoulders and then on stretcher up to the ambulance after first-aid in the Legislature dispensary.
Mr Shah was discharged from the hospital at 8:30 pm tonight.
Omar, who was not present in the Assembly during the Opposition protests, wrote on twitter: “want to see shameful behaviour of elected representatives-check out the Opposition in the J&K Assembly standing on tables.
“Seems they really are totally shaken up by our decision to create so many new administrative units, which has been well received”.
As soon as the House began its sitting for the day at 10 am, entire Opposition including all PDP, BJP, NPP and JSM MLAs besides Hakim Mohammad Yasin were on their feet. Even Deputy Speaker Sartaj Madni, who belonged to the PDP was on his feet carrying placard seeking more units. While Mr Madni, PDP Legislature Party leader Mehbooba Mufti and their senior party colleague Abdul Rehman Veeri protested from their seats carrying placards, all other PDP MLAs trooped into Well of the House shouting slogans in protest against what they called biased towards Opposition held Assembly segments in the creation of new administrative units.
Simultaneously, all MLAs of BJP, NPP and JSM excepting Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, MLA Jammu West, also stood up from their seats and started protest against the creation of new units.
“We want tehsil for Budhal and Peeri,” read a large color placard carried by PDP MLA from Darhal, Zulfikar Choudhary.
“Sabke Saath Insaaf Karo, Insaaf Karo and We Want Justice” slogans rented the House as the PDP MLAs trooped into Well of the House and were surrounded by the Marshals. Independent MLA from Langate Engineer Rashid continued to protest from his seat. The Marshals surrounded the Speaker’s podium to prevent highly agitated PDP MLAs from reaching close to the Speaker.
Mr Gul tried to pacify the rampaging MLAs saying their protest has been registered and that they can also raise their issues during debate on Governor’s Address. He repeatedly advised the MLAs not to troop into the Well and take their seats. However, the Speaker’s appeal had no impact on the MLAs, who continued to protest and shout slogans.
Barring brief altercation between Higher Education Minister and NC leader Mohammad Akbar Lone and Engineer Rashid and an attempt by Minister for Animal and Sheep Husbandry Nazir Gurezi to counter the Opposition, the treasury benches maintained calm and watched the pandemonium silently.
There was no attempt from the Government to react to the charges of bias in creation of administrative units leveled by the Opposition.
As the Speaker tried to go ahead with the Question Hour and asked NC leader Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal to raise his question, the PDP MLA Zulfikar threw the chair and grappled with Marshals, who tried to prevent the MLAs from reaching close to the table of the reporters. Two lady staffers at the reporters table had to leave the House after one of the chairs was thrown and Zulfikar Choudhary reached atop the table.
Even as Urban Development Minister Rigzin Jora tried to reply to the question of Dr Kamaal, his voice remained inaudible.
The Speaker adjourned the House for the first time at 10.06 am finding no end to the standoff.
As the House resumed its sitting at 10.21 am, all MLAs of BJP, NPP and JSM were also on their feet. While the PDP MLAs were in the Well, other Opposition MLAs continued protests from their tables. Seeing no solution in sight, Mr Gul again adjourned the House within two minutes of the resumption at 10.23 am. Some of the PDP MLAs threw books from table of the reporters, where they had climbed, and flung them in air while indulging in massive sloganeering. The reporters and other Assembly staff had to desert the table, which was captured by the Opposition legislators.
The protests intensified when the House resumed at 10.50 am with all NPP, BJP and JSM MLAs shouting slogans and carrying placards.
“Hamari Mangein Puri Karo, Left Out Areas Cover Karo (fulfill our demands, included left out areas from creation of administrative units)”, “Sarkaari Goondagardi Bandh Karo, Bandh Karo (stop Government sponsored goondaism)” and “Logon Ko Insaaf Do, Insaaf Do (give justice to people)” rented the House with BJP MLA Jugal Kishore carrying a placard demanding tehsil status for Jandrah and NPP MLA Yashpal Kundal seeking tehsil status for Purmandal. Lone JSM MLA Ashwani Sharma was demanding sub division for Bishnah.
Once again, the PDP MLAs captured the table of the reporters with PDP MLA Syed Bashir lying on it as the Marshals tried to remove him while Mr Kundal stood atop a chair indulging in massive shouting. However, more vigorous were the protests from the PDP MLAs, who again removed all chairs of the reporters, which were set right during every adjournment, They removed all chairs and even the table and kept on shouting while the Deputy Speaker, Ms Mufti and Mr Veeri continued their silent protest from their seats carrying white placards with slogans written on them in favour of administrative units.
NC MLAs Peer Afaq and Irfan Shah wanted to speak but were unable to do so amidst massive protest from the Opposition members.
A couple of Marshals also fell down while trying to prevent the PDP MLAs from removing chairs, tables and mikes from the reporters’ table. PDP MLAs including Syed Bashir, Basharat Bukhari, Abdul Haq Khan, Peer Mansoor Shah, Zulfikar Choudhary, Dr Shafi Ahmad Wani, Javed Mustafa Mir and all others were close to the table of reporters.
This practice was repeated time and again.
Speaker again asked the members to take their seats with assurance that he would allow one of them to speak but it had no impact on the protesting MLAs.
He urged the members to handover their placards to him so that he could apprise the Government of their demands. The MLAs handed over the placards but later came up with new ones.
In a virtual free for all situation, NPP MLA and former Minister Harshdev Singh, BJP MLAs Durga Dass, Sham Choudhary and Gharu Ram apart from PDP MLAs were also seen atop the reporters’ table while BJP leader Jugal Kishore was seen standing on the bench of a Minister.
The Speaker again made a fervent appeal to the protesting MLAs to allow the House to function by taking their seats saying he would give time to all of them to speak. He even asked NC leader Abdul Gani Malik to start speech on Governor Address, which he did, but his voice was once again lost in the din.
By this time, the Opposition MLAs had virtually converted the Assembly Reporters’ table into the dais for sloganeering while the Assembly Secretary and the reporters had to desert their chairs.
As Mr Malik tried to speak, there was mix of slogans renting the House from combined Opposition like `Purmandal, Jandrah and Shopian Ko Tehsil Do’, `Bishnah Ko Sub Division Do’, `Logon Ko Insaaf Do’. `Tehsil Do, Block Do, Sub Division Do’ were the only words heard as the entire Opposition was either on the reporters’ table or in the Well and their benches shouting in whatever way the possible making it virtually impossible for the Speaker to run the House but he tried his best.
Adding to the problems was the electricity, which went off for few seconds at 11.14 am leading to fresh round of slogans “Andheri Sarkaar Hai Hai” by the Opposition MLAs.
During the protests, the Speaker was heard asking the watch and ward staff of the Assembly to remove MLAs from the House but such was the number of protesting legislators that it was virtually impossible to evacuate them and the Marshals made the efforts to prevent the MLAs from reaching to the tables of reporters or podium of the Speaker.
The Speaker asked PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti to make her point, which she did. But after her speech, there was again uproar by all MLAs forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for third time at 11.26 am.
As the House resumed at 12.18 pm, almost entire Opposition was in the Well of the House. Engineer Rashid, who had also trooped into the Well shouted that Kashmiris have been back stabbed by the Government with the denial of more units.
There was complete chaos in the House with MLAs of the PDP having a scuffle with the Marshals, who had laid a cordon to prevent them from reaching table of the reporters. The scuffle continued nearly for five minutes with Marshals and MLAs pushing each other while the BJP, NPP and JSM MLAs besides Hakim Mohammad Yasin protesting from their seats, most of them indulging in massive sloganeering.
While Basharat Bukhari managed to reach to the podium of the Speaker, Syed Bashir was on top of the bench. The Marshals several times pulled back the MLAs from the table but they again managed to reach there, virtually leading to chaos in the House.
In the melee, PDP MLA from Tral Mushtaq Ahmad Shah fell down, causing him injuries.
The Speaker then adjourned the House for the day at 12.31 pm.
Mr Shah was brought out of the House and taken to dispensary in the Central Hall of Legislature from where he was referred to the GMC Jammu in an ambulance.
During the pandemonium, Engineer Rashid first walked aggressively towards NC MLA from Batmaloo Irfan Shah but an ugly situation was averted with the intervention of coalition MLAs. Mr Rashid then trooped into the Well and passed serious remark against NC veteran and Higher Education Minister Mohammad Akbar Lone, who also shouted back.
The exchanges between Mr Lone and Mr Rashid continued for a minute prompting the Speaker to reprimand Mr Rashid for using unwarranted words against the Minister.
Engineer Rashid also picked up a mike and showed it to Mr Lone
Forest Minister Mian Altaf later pacified Mr Lone.
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