Srinagar- Peoples’ Conference chief Sajad Lone Monday accused the National Conference of indulging in theatrics in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly over the Waqf Amendment Act and said the ruling party should have brought a resolution in the House against the new law.
The Handwara MLA also slammed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for meeting Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijju, who presented the (Waqf) bill in Parliament, at Tulip Garden here.
“If NC’s song and dance performance in the assembly is not theatre, why is NC not bringing a no-confidence motion against its own speaker for disallowing their adjournment motion. And is the Waqf bill really sub-judice.
“The petition against Waqf bill has not been admitted yet. So how can it be sub- judice?” Lone said in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, J&K Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rejected an adjournment motion on the Waqf Amendment Act on the grounds that the matter was sub-judice.
The Peoples’ Conference chief said an adjournment motion is a censure motion against the government, and is brought to discuss the failures of government.
“You cannot bring adjournment motion on Waqf Bill. Adjournment means discussion and reply by the Minister in-charge concerned. The only legislative device to condemn the move was resolution. It was the only tool available to us to express our collective disapproval against this law,” he added.
Lone also said three resolutions in the assembly seeking restoration of statehood lapsed on Monday.
“This is similar situation when resolution brought on (Parliament attack convict) Afzal Guru lapsed in 2013 when NC speaker adjourned House after Congress, then ally of NC-led government, created pandemonium out of blue.
“So, was this song dance about Waqf or about stalling and delaying statehood resolutions? By all accounts things don’t add up,” he said.
Referring to Assembly Speaker Rather, Lone said the speaker who disallowed the adjournment motion belongs to NC and added that the members who brought in the adjournment motion were also from NC.
The Peoples’ Conference chief said the single Muslim majority province in India “fails” to collectively condemn the Waqf Amendment Act, and also “lapses” three bills on restoration of statehood.
Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti also accused the National Conference government of yielding to the BJP’s “anti-Muslim” agenda, after an adjournment motion on the Waqf Amendment Act was rejected in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
Lashing out at Omar Abdullah, she said Muslims in the country expected that a Muslim chief minister in the only Muslim-majority state “would raise his voice or at least say that they will not implement this law in J&K”.
“It’s profoundly disappointing that the Speaker J&K Assembly has rejected the motion on the Waqf Bill,” she said in a post on X.
The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of J&K said the NC could learn from the Tamil Nadu government which has “firmly opposed” the Waqf Bill.
“Despite securing a strong mandate, the government appears to have completely yielded to the BJP’s anti-Muslim agenda, cynically attempting to appease both sides,” Mehbboba Mufti said in her post.
“In J&K, the only Muslim-majority region, it’s alarming that a supposedly people-centric government lacks the courage even to debate this critical issue,” she added.
Speaking to reporters here, the PDP president said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has failed to come up to the expectations of the Muslims of the country.
“Muslims across the country today expected that a Muslim chief minister, having 50 seats, in the only Muslim majority state, would raise his voice or at least say that they will not implement this law in J&K. But, nothing like that happened. I feel ashamed today,” she said.
Mufti said the Muslims in the country are “helpless and in minority, but, J&K is a Muslim majority and the most secular state”.
“People had expectations from the leadership here, from the government that it would vocally oppose the bill, take the matter to the Supreme Court or bring a resolution in the assembly.
On J&K Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rejecting the motion on the Waqf Amendment Bill on the grounds that the matter was sub-judice, the PDP chief retorted, “How is this sub-judice when the Supreme Court has not taken cognisance and notice of this case?
“There should have been no problem in discussing the resolution brought by Para,” she said.
She said the NC did not stand up for the people of J&K and has “disrespected” them.
“Unsolicited advice should not be given, but today, I am giving advice to the people of NC and Omar Abdullah. The BJP might have many shortcomings, but they respect those who respect themselves and stand for their people. You (Abdullah) not only did not stand for your people but have disrespected them,” she added.
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