Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Jan 3: Ruling BJP today faced major embarrassment in both Houses of the Legislature with party MLA Sukhnandan Choudhary and MLC Ajatshatru Singh staging walk-out and another MLA Dina Nath Bhagat protesting inside the House on different issues.
BJP MLC Ajatshatru Singh was virtually left isolated by his own party members when he raised the issue of holiday on the birthday of last Dogra ruler of J&K, Maharaja Hari Singh in the Legislative Council today.
Singh, who happens to be the grandson of Maharaja Hari Singh, stood up in the Upper House in the morning and raised the issue of Government holiday on birthday of Late Maharaja, when the Chairman, Haji Anayat Ali started the normal business with Question Hour at 11 am.
Ajatshatru Singh pleaded that during last Budget Session at Jammu, the Legislative Council had passed resolution seeking Gazetted holiday on the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last ruler of the J&K State. He wanted to know why there was delay on the implementation of this resolution passed in House of Elders and Government should give reply. He demanded that a strong direction should go to the Government from the Chairman to implement this resolution.
When he was pleading the matter, not even a single BJP member was seen standing up with him and supporting. When Singh saw others from his party (BJP) and specially members from Jammu sitting on their benches, he asked them giving signal to stand up. Even senior BJP member from Jammu East Ashok Khajuria, who was sharing bench with Singh did not stand up. But at the instance of Ajatshatru Singh, the BJP members stood up for few minutes and then again sat down.
The lone BJP member Ajatshatru Singh continued his protest for seeking reply from the Govt and pressing the Chairman to pass a direction, but all other eight BJP members kept sitting mum and did not utter a single word, thus totally exposing the party for its double standards.
Lodging his protest, Ajatshatru Singh went near the well and then staged walk out of the Upper House alone and not even single member from BJP and especially those from Jammu region, supported him and joined him in the walk-out.
The BJP Legislators sitting in the Legislative Council who preferred to keep mum included Chief Whip of the party Ramesh Arora, Ashok Khajuria, S. Charanjeet Singh, Vibodh Gupta, Surinder Mohan Ambardar, Girdhari Lal Raina, Pardeep Sharma and Vikram Randhawa.
It may be recalled that during recent past there were massive agitations and protests in Jammu on the issue of seeking holiday on the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh. The BJP leadership has fully supporting the cause and also claimed to have written letter to the Chief Minister over the issue. But surprisingly, today, there was none among the BJP Legislators in the Upper House to support its own member.
In Assembly, BJP today faced serious embarrassment when two of their MLAs-Sukhnandan Choudhary from Marh and Dina Nath Bhagat from Chenani confronted the Government during Question Hour. While Sukhnandan staged walk-out after protesting in Well of the House, Bhagat raised question mark on working of Ministry and issues pertaining to his constituency.
Independent MLA from Udhampur Pawan Gupta also protested in the Well of the House for more than half an hour saying the Government has given “totally wrong reply” to his question.
During Question Hour, Sukhnandan Choudhary, a former Minister initially protested from his seat in support of the demand of agitating farmers of Samba and Vijaypur for increase in compensation of land for construction of Ring Road but as no Minister bothered to reply, he trooped into the Well of the House raising his demand vociferously.
Sukhnandan Choudhary said the compensation being paid to the farmers at Raya Morh in Samba and Vijaypur areas for construction of Ring Road was 10-times low than what they deserve, which was “completely injustice” with the farmers and should be undone.
He claimed that authorities have stopped payment of compensation in Kashmir after complaints of less payment but regretted that in Jammu, the administration was forcibly acquiring land of the farmers by giving them meager payment.
“This is totally injustice. This shouldn’t happen,” he remarked.
Surprisingly, no Ministers from the PDP-BJP coalition Government tried to persuade the BJP MLA to take seat.
As Sukhnandan failed to get any assurance from any of the Ministers, he staged walk-out.
Another BJP MLA, Dina Nath Bhagat from Chenani said he has been given “wrong reply” by the concerned Minister pertaining to his question on construction of roads in Chenani constituency.
“My two roads have been abandoned. I had also raised the issue earlier. Even the issue figured in the Assurances Committee. The Government is doing injustice. My roads should be taken up,” Bhagat said.
He lamented the wrong reply and wanted the Government to resume work on roads in his Chenani constituency immediately.
Bhagat also failed to get any categorical assurance from the Government.
Independent MLA from Udhampur, Pawan Gupta, trooped into the Well of the House during Question hour displaying what he called “wrong reply” given to his question pertaining to two roads of Udhampur constituency under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
Gupta said the Government has mentioned that two roads will be taken up under RIDF in his Udhampur constituency but both the roads, named in the reply, were not part of his segment.
“What kind of Government it is? What type of replies they are giving? This is ridiculous,” Gupta remarked.
He said he was planning to move “breach of privilege motion” against the Government for furnishing wrong reply to him on Floor of the House.
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