Srinagar: The state legislative assembly witnessed an uproar on the first day of the month-long budget session which started in the winter capital Jammu on Monday.
No sooner did the session begin many opposition leaders stormed into the Well and started disrupting the proceedings leading to the heated arguments between the ruling party MLAs and the legislators from the opposition.
Seeking immediate release of political prisoners, the opposition National Conference and Congress along with some independent legislators demanded stern punishment for the killers of civilians, especially the youth during the 2016 mass uprising.
They also raised hue and cry over the controversial issue of providing domicile certificates to WPRs and SCs recent verdict on SARFAESI act in J&K.
NC MLA from Pahalgam Altaf Kaloo and ruling PDP MLA from Tral Mushtaq Shah exchanged heated arguments when the former termed the government as Killer Sarkar.
The commotion in the House refuse to die down that delayed the Governor N N Vohras Budget speech. Vohra started his speech amid the unruly scenes in the house, however, had to cut short barely after 10 minutes as the opposition leaders continued with anti-government slogans and didnt allow him to speak.
The opposition legislators carrying placards shouted slogans like Shame RSS, Shame PDP, PDP ka kya paigam-boli nahi, goli chalao, Qatil sarkar hi hi, Begunah khoon ka hisaab dou.
The placards were being carried by MLA Shangas Gulzar Wani, MLC Bashir Ahmed Veeri, and MLA Abdul Majid Larmi.
The senior members from the opposition later staged a walk-out over the controversial issues of granting domicile certificates to West Pakistan Refugees. The members alleged that the ruling dispensation has put the special status of J&K at stake and were fiddling with the Article-370.
With no let up in the protests, Governor N N Vohra left the House even when the national anthem was being played. BJP MLA from Nowshehra, Ravinder Ravi, blamed Vohra for disrespecting the national anthem.
The Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also left the House shortly after Vohra. Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, ministers other MLAs including Hakeem Muhammad Yasin, M Y Tarigami maintained their presence in the assembly.
Later, speaking to the media persons outside the house, NC MLA Ali Muhammad Sagar, and Congress MLA Nawang Rigzin Jora said the government is not ashamed of delivering speeches in the house with blood on its hands.
With which face this government will deliver speeches on the budget, Sagar said. They have killed innocents in Kashmir. This govt is without accountability and is careless towards the peoples miseries. How can we listen to the budget speech when common people are being killed? The brutality is at its peak in Kashmir.
MLA Kulgam and CPI (M) senior leader M Y Tarigami said the behaviour of government was never people friendly. They have always exploited the people, he said.
He questioned the number of marshals in the House and asked government that assembly is not any jail where a large number of marshals have been deployed. The NC-Congress legislators also demanded that the number of marshals in the assembly be decreased to the minimum.
However, the repeated requests of Speaker Kavinder Gupta asking the Opposition benches to keep clam didnt prove fruitful as the legislators continued with their protests.
MLA Nagrota Devender Singh Rana said this ruling dispensation of PDP and BJP is incompetent in all respects and their sole motive is to implement the agenda of RSS.
They want to divide the state on religious lines, which we wont let happen. On every front this govt is incompetent. People have been deprived from their basic rights, which is why there is anger on the ground, Rana said.
Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri later on behalf of the govt said it is unfortunate that the Opposition didnt play a healthy role.
If they had issues they would have raised in the assembly without created uproar. They showed irresponsible role. They are wasting the time of people. Assembly is meant to raise the issues of people, but Opposition wasted the time of people, he said. (KNS)
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