Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 23: The PDP-BJP Alliance partners tonight decided to put up joint front in the Legislature and face the Opposition together with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh calling for co-ordination between Ministers and coalition legislators in both Houses of the Legislature.
The PDP-BJP, who will be facing their maiden budget session under the leadership of Mehbooba Mufti, discussed the issues the Opposition parties like National Conference, Congress, CPM and some Independents could rake up and steps to counter them not with aggression but with facts and figures.
Though PDP-BJP had together faced two Assembly sessions last year, this would be the first session of Mehbooba Mufti as the Chief Minister. In the previous two sessions, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who passed away on January 7, was the Chief Minister.
Budget session of the Legislature is starting on May 25 with Governor’s Address to joint session of the Legislature.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Mehbooba Mufti chaired the meeting of PDP-BJP Alliance partners at Nehru Guest House, Chasmashahi in Srinagar tonight over dinner and called for co-ordination between the Alliance partners to face the Opposition.
Ms Mufti said the greater co-ordination was not only required between PDP and BJP but also between the Ministers and legislators of the two parties to ensure smooth functioning of the House and not to give the Opposition any chance to embarrass the Alliance.
Mehbooba congratulated the BJP Ministers and legislators for the party’s landslide victory in Assam.
Sources said the coalition partners discussed the points the Opposition parties like National Conference, Congress, CPM and Independent MLAs rake up during 37-day long session with 32 sittings and the Alliance strategy to counter them not with aggression or uproar but with facts and figures.
“We have facts with us. The PDP-BJP has given good governance during 10-month tenure of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and our start of second innings during past about one and half month has also been very good. We will face the Opposition on merit,” she was reported to have said.
Sources said Mehbooba Mufti and Dr Nirmal Singh told the PDP-BJP Ministers and legislators that they should handle the Opposition politely by satisfying them on the issues raised by them.
Both the leaders also stressed for liaison between Alliance Ministers and MLAs to give impression that they were united.
“The legislators of ruling parties have every right to raise any kind of queries but no wrong impression should go outside,” they said.
Prior to the Alliance partners meeting, the BJP legislators also held their separate meeting in which senior leaders including Dr Nirmal Singh, Bali Bhagat, Ashok Koul and others were present. The meeting discussed the party strategy for the budget session.
Earlier, Speaker Legislative Assembly, Kavinder Gupta sought cooperation from leaders of all the political parties to ensure smooth conduct of the upcoming budget session scheduled to commence from May 25.
Chairing a meeting of leaders of various political parties and Chief Whips in Srinagar, the Speaker hoped that Members would utilize the time fixed for the session judiciously in order to highlight their maximum public interest issues in a democratic manner.
Gupta said that equal opportunities will be given to each political party to raise issues of public interest. He appealed the Members to highlight developmental issues besides other important issues for detailed discussion during the course of the session.
The Speaker impressed upon all the members that they should not disrupt the question hour which is considered as the most important tool for raising the important public issues besides making the Government answerable and accountable to the people.
He said that all the members are duty bound to represent their constituencies in the House by raising important public issues, “but they should do so in a decent and dignified manner and in no case resort to un-parliamentary conduct.”
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Abdul Rehman Veeri assured the meeting that the Government will put all out efforts to satisfy the opposition members during the Session. He also sought cooperation of the senior legislators to run the session smoothly.
Deputy Speaker, Legislative Assembly, Nazir Ahmed Gurezi also spoke on the occasion and sought cooperation from all the political parties to conduct smooth functioning of the House.
Legislators, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mian Altaf Ahmad, Nawang Rigzin Jora, M Y Tarigami, Mr Vikar Rasool Wani, Sat Paul Sharma, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat, Rajesh Gupta and Bashir Ahmed Dar gave their valuable suggestions in making the session result-oriented.
They also assured Speaker that full cooperation will be given to run the House in a cordial manner.
Secretary Assembly Mohammad Ramzan and other senior officers of Assembly Secretariat were also present on the occasion.
Follow our WhatsApp channel