Communal party remarks trigger protest from BJP
Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Oct 23: The nine-day autumn session of the Legislative Assembly began today with lawmakers paying tribute to former Governor Satya Pal Malik and former Ministers and legislators who passed away since the last session, while a heated exchange unfolded between National Conference (NC) and BJP members over Malik’s role in the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
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Addressing the House, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather paid homage to former Governor Satya Pal Malik, former Minister Gulchain Singh Charak, former MLA Dina Nath Bhagat, former MLCs Ghulam Nabi Shaheen, Ramesh Arora, and Sardar Mohammad Akhlaq Khan, and former legislator Mohammad Sultan Pandithpori. He reflected on their contributions to Jammu and Kashmir and the nation, highlighting their public service and dedication.
The session quickly turned tense as NC MLA Bashir Veeri rose to speak on the obituary references. He described former Governor Malik’s tenure as “controversial” and referred to Arora as belonging to a “communal party.” BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma immediately objected, demanding that the remarks be expunged. Speaker Rather asked Veeri to respect the deceased but did not accept Sharma’s demand. “When someone passes from this world, we should use good words and avoid controversial remarks,” the Speaker said. Sharma responded sharply: “Has there been such a reference where we have used derogatory words during the obituary references?”
Congress leader GA Mir praised Malik as a candid and principled leader, saying, “Satya Pal Malik was a good leader who suffered to bring truth to the people in his last days. He was open-spoken, which may have brought him benefits, but he also endured a lot.”
MLA Tral Rafiq Ahmad Naik added, “We must avoid speaking ill of someone who has passed away. Even if they have made some wrong decisions, we should speak well of them when they leave this world.”
CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami stressed that respect must coexist with accountability. “A person entrusted with public responsibility should also be assessed for their actions,” he said. Recalling past debates in 2003 and 2004, Tarigami noted, “In 2003 and 2004, this House discussed a resolution in two sessions… whatever solutions were available regarding J&K and its future should be considered within the scope of J&K-Ladakh,” he said.
BJP leaders interrupted, urging him not to give history lessons. “This is not the right time to discuss such things. There should be a longer session for these discussions, and we are ready for that. If you go back to 1953, we also know about 1987 and 1996,” they said, prompting a strong reaction from NC legislators, many of whom rose from their seats in protest.
BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa called August 5, 2019, a historic day and praised Malik’s talent, saying he held five important posts. “An ordinary person cannot be made Governor of five States. The BJP recognized his talent. August 5 is historic for J&K, and it is a coincidence that Satya Pal Malik passed away on this date this year,” he said.
Countering this, NC MLA Nazir Gurezi criticized Malik, claiming he engaged in “some unconstitutional acts which will be recorded in history.” BJP MLA Narinder Singh credited Malik with achieving “One Nation, One Constitution.” Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh added, “Satya Pal Malik was the last Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. When he spoke about farmers, he was an honest public figure. Constructive criticism should be allowed, but as Sagar said, today silence speaks louder than words. That is why some members remain silent.”
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary added, “A man who held multiple Constitutional posts should be draped in the tricolor after his death. Anyone from outside J&K, whether a Governor, IAS, or IPS officer, writes an autobiography after retirement. I wish they wrote it while serving here.”
Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma urged restraint, warning, “None of us would expect a member of this House to speak differently about us. How will our families feel then? We should be mindful.” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah echoed him: “Everyone makes mistakes, knowingly or unknowingly. None of us is an angel. We have also erred.”
During the obituary references, legislators including Omar Abdullah, Sunil Kumar Sharma, Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Javed Ahmed Rana, Dr. Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri, Dr. Devinder Kumar Manyal, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Rafiq Ahmad Naik, Dr. Rameshwar Singh, Mubarak Gul, Salman Ali Sagar, M.Y. Tarigami, Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh, Pawan Gupta, Sajad Gani Lone, Aijaz Jan, Abdul Majid Bhat Larmi, Nizamuddin Bhat, Vikram Randhawa, Balwant Singh Mankotia, Choudhary Mohammad Akram, Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Narinder Singh paid tribute to the departed members, with the House observing a two-minute silence in their memory.
The Speaker urged legislators to make the best use of the limited session time, emphasizing that debates should be “meaningful and beneficial to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
After observing the two-minute silence, the Speaker adjourned the House, scheduling the next sitting for Monday, October 27.
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