Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 25: Opposition National Conference and Congress today disrupted the Governor’s joint address to the Legislature at SKICC here over various issues including National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), and later walked-out in protest.
As Governor N N Vohra rose to address the members of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, here at SKICC Srinagar, legislators from National Conference and Congress took to their feet and started sloganeering.
The National Conference members started shouting slogans demanding revocation of AFSPA from the State. They also protested against the implementation of the NFSA. They demanded adequate supply of food grains to the people of the State and dismissal of Forest Minister Lal Singh for allegedly making threatening remarks about Gujjars of Jammu at his residence last week. The NC members shouted slogans like “revoke AFPSA, we do not need speeches, give ration and dismiss Lal Singh”.
The Congress Members also levelled charge of failure against the PDP-BJP coalition Government on issues like implementation of National Food Security Act and regularisation of daily wage workers in various Government departments.
The members continued their sloganeering for about 15 minutes but the Governor ignored the protests and continued his address and the ruling PDP and BJP members remained silent. The Legislators from both the parties later walked out of the House.
Later, speaking to reporters outside SKICC, NC general secretary, Ali Mohammad Sagar, said it will bring a resolution in the Assembly for restoring the autonomy granted to the State under the Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. “NC will bring a resolution on Autonomy in the Assembly. It has become imperative as there is an attack on special status guaranteed under Article 370,” he said.
Sagar said repeated attempts were being made to weaken the Article 370. “To protect, defend and strengthen it, the autonomy is the solution to ensure that”.
The NC leader said the Government is making claims that NFSA is its biggest achievement “but it has turned out to be a biggest failure”. “All the three regions of Jammu and Kashmir are protesting against the Act. The second issue is relief to flood victims. This Government is total failure on that count as well,” he added.
Sagar said the third issue was that of a minister in this government warning Gujjar brothers of 1947-like situation. “Such a communal Minister has no right to sit in the Cabinet. We staged the walkout on these three issues. We represented the sentiments of the people of the State,” he said.
Education Minister Naeem Akhtar, told reporters that it would have been better if the opposition had first heard the Governor’s address. “If this is happening in Assembly, it is very welcome that the opposition is trying to raise issues that they think are of public interest. But it would have been better if they had heard the address of the Governor and then made their point. That would have been more democratic,” he added.
On the alleged anti-Muslim remarks made by Lal Singh, Akhtar said the Minister has denied the remarks. “Lal Singh has contradicted it and said he never made those remarks. And he has also very significantly said that even if this avoidable controversy has caused some hurt, he apologises for that. It should rest at that,” he added.
On the strike called by separatists tomorrow, Akhtar said it was not for the first time a bandh has been called in Kashmir. “We have been living with this. We hope the people who are the ultimate arbiters, they see through this that certain people want to rake up issues that don’t exist. Just perhaps to subvert the feeling of the positivity that has come back to Kashmir. Some economic activity has revived, tourism is seeing a boom. I think some people don’t like that,” he said.
Earlier, in the House, Independent MLA from Langate Sheikh Abdul Rashid, who had joined the opposition protests, remained in the House and disrupted Vohra’s speech till the end. Rashid was seeking to know the fate of the time-bound magisterial inquiry into the Handwara killings in alleged security forces firing on April 12 on protests that broke out following allegation of molestation of a girl by an Army jawan.
“We want to know what happened to the inquiry into Handwara killings,” Rashid said. As Vohra was reading out various schemes and welfare measures to be implemented by the State Government, Rashid said “You (Governor) do not represent us. You are a non-State Subject. We are supposed to have an elected Sadar-e-Riyasat (President of the State) …. you represent Delhi”.
Rashid told the Governor that he was made to lie by the Government. “Not even one percent of what you have been made to say (in the joint address) is true,” he added.
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