Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 1: Upper House of the J&K Legislature witnessed pandemonium and noisy scenes, causing ‘virtual disruption’ in the normal proceedings for about 12 minutes during Question Hour, as the PDP members lodged strong protest in the ‘well’ of the House and raised loud slogans, demanding action on the adjournment motion moved and bringing back the body of Mohd Afzal Guru, who was hanged at Tihar jail in Delhi few days back for the attack on Parliament.
As the House today commenced its normal proceedings with the ‘Question Hour’ at 11 am, the three PDP members present in the House including Nizamuddin Khatana, Sayed Asgar Ali and Mohd Ashraf Mir stood up and asked the Chairman to bring discussion on the issue of Afzal Guru and admit their adjournment motion given last evening. All the PDP legislators pressed for adjournment motion and said that Question House and other entire business be skipped.
The Chairman Legislative Council, Amrit Malhotra asked the members to take their seats and allow the smooth conduct of proceedings of the Question Hour in the House. Mr Malhotra said that he will look into their motion later. On this, the PDP members got more agitated and started raising loud slogans projecting their demand. Some Congress members intervened and asked them to allow proceedings and exchanged some hot words as well. But the Chairman asked the member, Aga Sayed Ahmed Rizvi to raise his question regarding Health Department.
Upon this, the PDP members left their respective seats and moved towards well of the House and started protest just in front of the Chairman’s seat. The noisy scenes disrupted the normal proceedings. Nothing was audible in the din. The PDP member started shouting slogans by thumping tables. It was total chaos and the repeated attempts of the ‘Chair’ failed to restore order in the House. Protesting for about 12 minutes the PDP members then staged walk-out of the House. Thereafter, the normal business in the House started.
Meanwhile, Chairman Legislative Council, adjourned the House for five minutes during Zero Hour, after he found not even single Minister or an officer sitting in the House. The embarrassing situation was created when the legislators were raising issues of public importance in the House of elders during Zero Hour, newly elected NC member, Dr Shahnaz Ganie was speaking.
The lone NPP member Sayed Rafiq Shah stood up and pointed out that there was no purpose of raising public issues in the House as nobody from Government, neither any Minister or any officer was present in the House. He pleaded the Chairman to take serious note of the issue and adjourn the House. The Chairman taking cognizance of the issue asked the Government to take serious note of the proceedings in the legislature. Then he adjourned the House for five minute at around 12.10 pm. The House, however, resumed it business after 10 minutes at around 12.22 pm.