Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 7: Ruling BJP members today stalled proceedings in the Legislative Assembly blaming Pakistan for yesterday’s terror attacks in the Kashmir valley in which three police personnel were killed and opposing their coalition partner PDP’s demand for withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) drawing sharp reaction from the opposition including National Conference and Congress members, who charged the BJP with indulging in ‘double standards’.
Trouble again erupted in the House during Zero Hour when Congress MLA from Nobra Deldan Namgial claimed that family of one of the three police martyrs hailing from Nobra was being asked by the Government to pay air fare for airlifting his body from Srinagar to Leh leading to heated exchanges between NC and PDP members. Later, Rural Development Minister assured the House that the chopper was ready to airlift the body but was held up due to adverse weather conditions.
As soon as the House began its proceedings, all BJP MLAs left their seats and trooped into middle of the House shouting slogans ‘Pakistan Hai Hai’, ‘Pakistan Murdabad’, ‘Security Forces Zindabad’ and ‘Big No to AFSPA Removal’.
BJP MLA from RS Pura Dr Gagan Bhagat was carrying a placard in the Assembly with ‘Big No to AFSPA Removal’ written on it while other party MLAs including Ravinder Raina was loudly shouting slogans against Pakistan blaming it for yesterday’s terror attacks in the Kashmir valley in which three police personnel were killed.
Independent MLA Engineer Rashid was the first to counter the BJP MLAs saying they were only shouting against Pakistan and speaking nothing against China, which was frequently intruding into the Indian territory in Ladakh.
The BJP members demanded that a resolution condemning Pakistan “for sponsoring terrorism in India” must be passed.
“Pakistan is a terrorist State which has been sponsoring terrorism in India. The terrorist attacks that took place yesterday must act as an eye-opener for those who advocate the revocation of AFSPA,” BJP member Ravinder Raina said.
“Our security personnel are killed, innocent civilians are killed by the Pakistan sponsored terrorists. This House must send a strong message by passing a resolution condemning Pakistan for its acts,” BJP member Dr Gagan Bhagat said.
NC and Congress MLAs had heated exchanges with the protesting BJP MLAs.
NC MLA and former Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar charged the BJP MLAs with enacting drama saying one of the coalition partners (PDP) was supporting withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) while the other coalition partner (BJP) was pressing for its continuation.
Senior NC leader and MLA from Nagrota Devender Singh Rana said one of the partners had credited Pakistan with successful conduct of Assembly elections while the other was raising slogans against Pakistan. He charged the BJP with selling interests of Jammu—first on the name of Article 370, then ‘Bum Bum Bhole’ agitation and now on various other issues.
“The BJP has lost the moral right to raise issues like terror attacks and AFSPA. They are just fooling the people by staging drama in the Assembly. They have sold the interests of Jammu,’’ Rana shouted.
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and former Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora was also on the feet and wanted to know from the BJP as to what kind of drama they were enacting on AFSPA.
“You are part of the coalition and withdrawal of AFSPA is part of your Common Minimum Programme (CMP),’’ he said addressing the BJP member.
Reacting to BJP MLAs’ slogan shouting, Jora said Chinese have been making frequent incursions in Ladakh. They have made eight to 10 incursions in Ladakh during past few months, he added and asked: “where is that 56 inches ‘seena’ (chest now)? He was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim of 56 inches chest used during campaign for Lok Sabha elections.
After about 15 minutes’ protests, the BJP took to their seats leading to resumption of House proceedings.
It may be mentioned here that the PDP and BJP, the two coalition partners in the Government, have been taking completely divergent stand on AFSPA and Pakistan. While PDP has been supporting withdrawal of AFSPA and talks with Pakistan, the BJP has been supporting continuation of AFSPA and no talks with Pakistan.
Moreover, the demand by the ruling coalition partner BJP not to revoke AFSPA from the State comes a day after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, in a written reply, reiterated that phased withdrawal of AFSPA would take place from “peaceful areas”.
There was fresh trouble in the Assembly during Zero Hour when Congress MLA from Nobra Deldan Namgial pointed out that body of one of the police martyrs, who was killed in yesterday’s terror attack, was not being lifted to his home down in Leh as the Government was asking for air fares from family of the martyr.
This agitated the Congress and NC MLAs, some of whom were on their feet.
NC MLAs Devender Singh Rana and Kamal Arora and Congress MLAs including Usmaan Majeed, Choudhary Akram, Deldan Namgial and Asgar Ali Karbalaie trooped into middle of the House seeking an apology from the Government for what they called disrespect to body of the martyr police constable.
“You should feel ashamed and tender an unconditional apology in the House for shabbily treating the martyr and his family,’’ Rana shouted towards the BJP members. His remarks were countered by the BJP MLAs including Sat Sharma CA, Shakti Parihar, Ravinder Raina, Neelam Langeh and others, who described the charges as “incorrect’’.
Congress MLA Usmaan Majid and Asgar Ali Karbalaie also charged the BJP MLAs with raising slogans against the militants and doing nothing for victims of militancy.
“There should be no politics with the martyrs. The constable has sacrificed his life for the nation and there is no one to take care of his body. This is ridiculous,’’ Karbalaie said, adding that family of the martyr is being asked to arrange tickets or pay air fare to lift the bodies. This invited slogans of ‘shame, shame’ from the opposition members.
Karbalaie said the Deputy Chief Minister should personally accompany the body to Leh and express grief to the family.
Usmaan Majeed charged the Government with “insulting the martyrs’’.
Rural Development Minister Haq Khan told the House that the chopper is ready to airlift body of the martyr to Leh but the flight was delayed due to adverse weather conditions.
“The Government is very serious on the matter. It has kept the helicopter ready with the body. It will take the body to the martyr’s home as soon as the weather permits,’’ Khan said ending the din in the House.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Education Minister and PDP leader Naeem Akhter claimed there was no need of laws like the AFSPA which give an impression that the State was being run with the help of Army.
“There is no need of such laws which give impression that you are running a State with the help of Army,” he said.
“We are doing everything through democratic means, be it elections or setting up of a civilian Government here. And now we are holding civic elections democratically and empowering Panchayats.
“Even after that if there is a need for such a law, I do not feel that it matches the democratic spirit and democratic system of this country,” Naeem said.
“Such incidents (terror attacks) take place even as the AFSPA is in force in the State. It is not that attacks have stopped because we have the AFSPA for the last 25 years,” he said.
“What administrative measures we need to take, what legal protection we need for the security forces and how we have to get out of this? That is a long drawn battle,” Akhter said.
On the NC’s efforts to revoke the controversial act, he said, “Omar Abdullah talked about revoking it within three days. It is not like that. This issue needed a debate at the national and State levels and the debate is on.”
The Minister said the PDP-BJP Government “would try to take everybody on the board while we talk of AFSPA revocation.”
On the other, BJP leader and Minister of State for Works and Revenue strongly opposed revocation of AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir saying it should be made stronger as situation has not improved to the extent of scrapping it.
“This is a situation just before you. It does not look that situation has improved and AFSPA be removed. There is a need for AFSPA to be made stronger in the State,” he told the reporters outside the Assembly.
“I do not feel that Chief Minister had said so that situation has improved and AFSPA would be revoked. There have been attacks in Samba and Rajbagh (Kathua) and now in other parts of Kashmir valley”, he said, adding that this is a situation just before you.
“Army should be made stronger apart from continuing AFSPA to ensure that terrorists do not re-emerge and raise their heads,” the BJP Minister said.
“We have been strongly saying it within the Government and outside the Government that we are opposed to revocation of AFSPA and it should be further strengthen”, Sharma said.
The Minister said his party’s stand was “very clear on AFSPA and terrorism”.
The way the situation has emerged in the State, the Minister said, BJP had always been strong opposition to terrorism in the country.
“We condemned the attacks on security forces and police. We have done it in Assembly also. Against these acts of terror, BJP is firm and wants a strong action against the terrorists who engineered these attacks”, the Minister said.
Later, while speaking to reporters, BJP MLA from Nowshera Ravinder Raina said, “The situation is not ripe for the revocation of AFSPA from any part of the State… Pakistan is continuously stabbing us in the back”.
He said that India need to strengthen the hands of security forces to take on terrorism “with an iron fist”.
“The need of the hour is to strengthen the hands of security forces to give a befitting reply to the terrorists. We cannot take such type of track lightly,” Raina said.
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