Uproar in Assembly as LoP demands removal of Speaker, BJP legislators walkout
Fayaz Bukhari Srinagar, Sept 29: The Legislative Assembly today witnessed noisy scenes, uproar and heated arguments after Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma sought removal of Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather questioning whether he exceeded his jurisdiction in allowing resolution on...
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Sept 29: The Legislative Assembly today witnessed noisy scenes, uproar and heated arguments after Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma sought removal of Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather questioning whether he exceeded his jurisdiction in allowing resolution on statehood.
As the session started this morning, the LoP alleged that the restoration of statehood resolution passed by the Assembly was "illegal" and "unconstitutional" citing a communication from the Law Secretary to the Speaker.
Sharma and other BJP leaders rose to their feet objecting to the portion of the statehood resolution that had reference to the autonomy resolution of 2000 and restoration of special status to J&K.
The LoP said the BJP had questioned the Speaker's credibility before the start of Monday's proceedings and had termed the Statehood resolution unconstitutional.
He said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had acknowledged that a letter had been written by the Law Secretary to the Speaker, which, according to Sharma, had termed the resolution unconstitutional.
"If the Law Secretary has written that the resolution is unconstitutional, it cannot be discussed in the House," he said.
He then demanded that the Speaker step down. "Therefore, I leave it to the Speaker. The Speaker must himself step down," he said.
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The confrontation disrupted the beginning of the day's proceedings, with BJP members raising slogans and protesting during the exchange. Some members attempted to move into the Well of the House but were prevented from doing so.
Responding to the objections, the Speaker asserted that he was aware of his powers and responsibilities and warned that strict action would be taken if members created disruptions.
"I know my role and functions," the Speaker said. "It is correct that you have given a motion; for that procedure has to be followed."
He also hit back at the Opposition, saying, "Do not teach me what to do," and warned that he would not allow "hooliganism" in the House.
His remarks led to a heated exchange between the treasury benches and the opposition, with National Conference members raising "Vote Chor" slogans.
The exchange led to further protests from BJP members, with NC Chief Whip Mubarak Gul also rising from his seat and appealing to members to allow Question Hour to proceed.
Gul's intervention, however, did not immediately calm the situation, with noisy scenes continuing inside the House. Members continued their protests and the attempt by some BJP legislators to enter the Well was thwarted. They walked out of the House while raising slogans against the Speaker and the Government.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Chowdhary, meanwhile, defended the Speaker's decision to allow the Statehood resolution to come before the House, saying the Assembly was the institution through which the people of J&K had sent their representatives to raise their concerns.
"Statehood and special status be returned to us," Chowdhary said, defending the resolution and its discussion in the House.
He said the Assembly was not a street and that the people of J&K had elected its members.
Chowdhary said the Opposition members had been given an opportunity to discuss the resolution and explain their position instead of disrupting the House.
"You gave them the chance of discussion. They kept the House disturbed throughout the day yesterday," he said.
He said members could have opposed the resolution on the floor of the House and clearly stated their reasons.
"They could have discussed it; they could have said easily why they do not want Statehood for J&K and why they do not want the special status for J&K," he said.
Instead, he said, the House was not allowed to function.
Chowdhary also referred to the issue of regularisation of daily-wagers and other pending matters, saying the Government had constituted a committee on the issue but its report was yet to be finalised, hitting at BJP.
He said the Government was struggling to function amid disruptions and stressed the importance of making full use of the limited sitting time available to the Assembly. "For us, every second of this House is important," he said.
The confrontation followed Monday's stormy proceedings over a resolution moved by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah seeking the "immediate and urgent restoration of full Statehood to J&K" and referring to the Assembly's earlier resolutions on autonomy in 2000 and special status in 2024.
The BJP opposed the move and questioned the Speaker's decision to allow the resolution to be discussed.
The Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma later told reporters that he demanded the resignation of Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather as he allowed an "illegal" resolution seeking restoration of Statehood to be passed in the House.
Sharma said the BJP had raised objections at the start of the proceedings over the resolution passed by the Assembly on Monday.
"We reject this resolution," he said, alleging that the resolution was passed despite objections from the Government's senior legal and administrative officials.
The LOP said that both the Law Secretary and Chief Secretary had written to the Speaker regarding the resolution and maintained that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had also acknowledged that it was "illegal".
"If the resolution was passed despite that, the Speaker must step down and the Chief Minister must apologise," he said.
He accused the Speaker of disregarding the objections raised over the resolution and said the BJP would continue to oppose what he described as an improper use of the House proceedings.
