Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 23: Oppositional National Conference and Congress today joined hands in the Legislative Assembly to protest the Government failure to provide compensation to the victims of avalanche at Mahu Mangat in Banihal and unsatisfactory reply by the Government.
As Congress MLA from Banihal and former Minister Viqar Rasool Wani raised the issue of delay in compensation to avalanche victims of Banihal and no reply from the Government despite direction by Speaker Kavinder Gupta soon after the Question House, all NC and Congress MLAs were on their feet charging the Government that directions given by the Chair were not being taken seriously by the Government.
Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh’s brief statement that anger of the Opposition MLAs was justified and that the victims would be given relief at the earliest further provoked the MLAs, who questioned delay by the Government in making a statement in the House and providing relief to the people.
Senior NC MLAs including Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mohammad Akbar Lone, Mubarak Gul, Mian Altaf, Devender Singh Rana and Congress MLAs including GM Saroori, Usmaan Majid, Viqar Rasool marched towards the front row to protest the Government failure to provide relief to the victims.
“You cannot muzzle the voice of opposition,” senior National Conference leader and party MLA Ali Mohammed Sagar said after the Speaker asked not to create disturbance in the House.
Accusing the Speaker of being the voice of the Government, National Conference’s Devender Singh Rana said, “You are not the Speaker of the Government, but you are the Speaker of the House. You are custodian of the entire House and not the Government only.”
Rana said the Speaker was not allowing the opposition to raise its voice of dissent in the House, “Whenever there is a voice of dissent, you force us to stop and you make us sit. You asked them to present three reports but they are not following your directions,” he added.
The pandemonium in the House began after Congress MLA from Banihal, Vikar Rasool raised the demand of compensation for the victims of snow avalanche in Banihal where two women and a boy had lost their lives.
“Why they have not been given any compensation so far, Government should give them compensation. This is a major loss, loss of human lives and the Government seems to be totally non serious,” Rasool said.
Demanding compensation for the victims, he staged a walkout from the House.
“Their anger is justified, from the Government side I can assure you that whatever is possible under rule, we will give them,” Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said.
Unsatisfied with the Government’s response, the opposition members joined by Congress and National Conference MLAs staged a protest demanding that compensation must be given to the victims.
National Conference MLA and former Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone said, “The Government is under obligation to inform the House about whatever happens outside the House, you are answerable to the House.” Lone added that Houses is in the session and the Government is under obligation to inform the members about anything happening outside. If three persons have died in an avalanche, the Government must inform the House, he added.
However, Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu said that the Government has followed all the directions of the Speaker and out of three, two have already been followed and the third was under process.
Drabu also accused the former Speaker of the House of bringing a “disrepute” to the Chair, “Don’t give lessons to the Speaker, we have seen in the past how abusive Speakers were who brought disrepute to the Chair,” he said.
NC MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar said the Government was having “non-serious approach” in the House.
“Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had been saying that the House is powerful and supreme. But here, the Government is not even ready to give reply on a human tragedy,” he regretted.
Congress MLA and former Minister GM Saroori also said that many houses have collapsed in the hilly areas.
The Opposition MLAs were pacified only after Speaker Kavinder Gupta said the Government will come out with a statement today itself and will give compensation to families of the victims. The MLAs then took their seats and House resumed proceedings after about 20 minutes uproar.
Later, in the second sitting, Revenue Minister Javed Hussain Mir made a statement in the House on deaths of three persons in avalanche. He said the Government has sanctioned Rs 1,5 lakh relief to every victim’s family and medical teams have also been sent to the spot.
While NC MLA and former Finance Minister Mohammad Shafi Uri was supposed to initiate debate on the budget, he couldn’t speak due to uproar and the Speaker switched over to second speaker Jewan Lal of BJP.
This furiated the opposition. After the uproar ended, Sagar said this has been the tradition that the opposition starts debate on the budget.
Kavinder Gupta said he named Shafi Uri several times to speak during the protests but he didn’t start the speech.
Congress Legislature Party leader Rigzin Jora also said it has been the tradition that opposition starts the debate and wanted Uri to do so.
The Speaker agreed to the request and asked Jewan Lal to take seat. Uri then started the debate.
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