* Speaker hints at BAC meet on PDP’s absence
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 18: Speaker Mubarak Gul said today that he would take the House into confidence and give his decision on the meeting of Business Advisory Committee (BAC) after a number of legislators raised the demand for calling opposition PDP back into the Assembly, which it had been boycotting since last Wednesday in protest against the statement of Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde refusing to return the body of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru.
The problems in the House compounded after National Panthers Party (NPP) and other Opposition members also left the Assembly when the Speaker ordered suspension of NPP MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia for a day after he tore off papers in the House and threw them in the Well in protest against inadequate water supply in his constituency.
For nearly an hour till the Speaker revoked the suspension of Mr Mankotia on the request of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saifullah Mir, the Assembly functioned without any major opposition parties excepting CPM MLA MY Tarigami and PDF legislator Hakim Mohammad Yasin.
As the House resumed its sitting after Sunday’s break this morning, CPM MLA MY Tarigami raised the issue of continued absence of PDP from the Assembly.
Referring to the previous meeting of the BAC, Mr Tarigami said the Speaker had taken up the matter in the meeting on PDP’s decision to boycott remaining session of the Assembly.
“The House has to run collectively. It’s a democratic institution. We have to accommodate each other. Though none asked them (the PDP) to leave the House yet the Government should take initiative to bring back the opposition for constructive proceedings of the House’’, he said.
PDF MLA and former Minister Hakim Mohammad Yasin also endorsed the demand of Mr Tarigami.
Mr Tarigami observed that such happenings did take place in the democracy and they had occurred when Mr Sagar and his party was in the opposition from 2002 to 2008. He demanded that the BAC should be convened again and a request sent to the Opposition to join proceedings of the House.
Reacting to the demand, Mr Gul said he had not wasted even a minute after the Opposition had announced boycott of the session and called the BAC.
“I had even invited their (the PDP’s) representative in the BAC to attend the meeting but he didn’t turn up to give his party’s view point’’, he said, adding he had asked Mr Tarigami, Hakim Yasin and NPP leader Harshdev Singh to talk to the opposition party.
Mr Gul said he would give his decision on BAC meeting shortly and take the House into confidence.
Harshdev Singh said it was the task of the Government to call the opposition back. “It is the job of the Government and not the opposition’’, he added.
During the Question House, NPP legislator from Udhampur, Balwant Singh Mankotia protested again shortage of water in his Assembly constituency, tore off some papers and flung them in the House before staging a walk-out.
Speaker Mubarak Gul announced Mr Mankotia’s suspension from the House for a day and expunged his remarks saying the House was being held hostage.
“I allowed supplementaries and other issues to be raised. No injustice was done to Mr Mankotia. Still on Saturday, he was stop the table catching mike and the photographs had appeared in the media. Today also, he threw papers in the House’’, Mr Gul said.
NPP leader Harshdev Singh clarified that Mr Mankotia had only registered his protest. Harshdev and his party colleague Yashpal Kundal also staged a walk-out in the House after the suspension of Mr Mankotia from the House.
Mr Tarigami again intervened and urged the Speaker to revoke suspension of Mr Mankotia.
“Already there were less Opposition members. Now, others have also left. How many of them would remain out’’? Mr Tarigami asked as BJP, BJP rebels and JSM MLAs also left the House.
As the grants of Planning Minister Ajay Sadhotra were taken up for debate in the Assembly at about 11 pm, only Mr Tarigami and Mr Yasin were present in the House from the Opposition side while rest of the benches of PDP, BJP, BJP breakaway group, NPP and JSM were vacant.
Congress leader Mohammad Sharief Niaz, who was presiding over the House proceedings in the absence of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker Sartaj Madni during the grants, also had to face tough time to maintain quorum in the House while Law Minister Saifullah Mir was also seen moving in and out to bring the members as there was no opposition in the House.
The Presiding Officer had to stop several members from moving out of the House to maintain quorum to run the Assembly during the grants. Most of the time, number of the members in the House stood between 25 to 30. Even Mr Tarigami had to be offered a glass of water inside the Assembly as he wanted to leave the House after his speech on the grants of the Planning Ministry as Mr Niaz stopped him from going out to maintain quorum.
It was not only the Opposition but a number of Ministers and MLAs of ruling Alliance were also absent. At about 11.15 am when the grants of the Planning Ministry were being debated, there were only six Ministers present in the House including Mr Sadhotra, Raman Bhalla, Saifullah Mir, Sajjad Kitchloo, Feroz Khan and Vikar Rasool. Few minutes later, Mr Kitchloo also left the House citing that he had to reply to a question in the Legislative Council. However, by then Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar returned to the House.
The less number of MLAs in the House prompted Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saifullah Mir to urge NPP, BJP, BJP breakaway group and JSM MLAs to come to the House and don’t get angry over the small issue.
Mr Niaz, who was in the Chair said he would urge the opposition MLAs to return to the House. “There are welcome’’, he added. However, the MLAs refused to come to the House till the suspension of Mr Mankotia was revoked.
Mr Tarigami and Congress MLA and former Minister Ghulam Mohammad Saroori also urged the Opposition members sitting out to join the proceedings. Mr Niaz urged the Law Minister to go out and persuade the members to join the House.
At one point of time, even Hakim Yasin threatened to leave the House. “They (the opposition members) did good by leaving the House. I will also leave as the grants are not being taken seriously. It’s responsibility of the Government to maintain the quorum’’, he said.
At about 11.55 am, the Speaker returned to the House and immediately the Law Minister appealed him to revoke suspension of Mr Mankotia so that he and other members of NPP, BJP and Gupta group join the proceedings.
The Speaker said he was not happy in suspending any member in the House.
“Repeatedly, he (Mr Mankotia) is on feet. A day before, the photographs showed him on the bench picking up mike. I will deduct the amount from the MLA’s salary if any one broke the mike’’, Mr Gul said and revoked his decision to suspend Mr Mankotia for the day.
At this stage, Independent MLA Engineer Rashid staged a walk-out in the Assembly saying he was not being allowed to speak on the grants.
At 11.57 am, the NPP and JSM members returned to the House as the Law Minister conveyed them to decision of the Speaker.
Mr Mankotia referring to his photograph on the bench said he was agitating against Pakistan Assembly’s resolution on Afzal Guru.
“We had agitated against Pakistan and we will continue to agitated if Pakistan didn’t stop meddling into our internal affairs even I was suspended for 1 or 10 days or even disqualified from the House’’, Mr Mankotia said.
Speaking to the media persons, Mr Mankotia alleged that his suspension was an excuse to target him after he demanded resolution against Pakistan over its Assembly’s remark on the execution of Afzal Guru.
“Today’s suspension was just an excuse to target me over the protest I lodged in the House over the demand for bringing resolution against Pakistan in the Assembly on Afzal Guru,” he said.
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