Stormy start for J&K House: PDP moves resolution on Article 370

“This is the weakest Assembly in the history of Jammu and Kashmir…,” Para said, before taking out a letter from his pocket and passing it to the Speaker. “With utmost respect, we request that the resolution attached be taken up for discussion. Although the agenda for the House has been finalised, we believe that your authority as Speaker allows the inclusion of this resolution, as it reflects the sentiments of the people at large,” the letter attached with the resolution read.

Moving the resolution, Para said, “This House opposes the revocation of special status of J&K and the constitutional disempowerment of Jammu and Kashmir through the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 and calls for its complete rescinding. The House further resolves to strive for the restoration of special status and all constitutional guarantees granted to Jammu and Kashmir in their original, pristine form.”

For a minute, there was complete silence, and then the BJP legislators stood up and raised their voice, demanding to know under which rules the resolution was moved.

While the National Conference legislators stayed silent, PDP legislators, supported by Sajad Lone as well as Independent MLAs Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad and Shabir Ahmad Kullay, backed Para.

As the commotion continued, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah accused the PDP of doing “politics for the cameras”.

He said, “We had information that the honourable member was planning such an act, but we thought it would be done later… I didn’t want to do politics on the first day, that is why I didn’t make a political speech. But some members can’t live without doing politics.”

However, he also said the people had not accepted the decision to abrogate J&K’s special status. “This Assembly reflects the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The reality is that people of Jammu and Kashmir have not put their stamp on the decisions taken on August 5, 2019. If they had, then the results (of the recent elections) would have been different. The majority of the people sitting here are those who have not accepted that decision,” he said.

He said the PDP should have “consulted us if they had to bring a resolution”. “In the coming days, after discussion with you (Speaker), a proposal will come and it will be discussed,” he said.

PDP and other non-BJP members of the Opposition objected to Omar’s remarks regarding “doing politics”, following which National Conference members stood up and traded barbs with them as BJP legislators remained silent.

Para told The Indian Express that the National Conference had not consulted his party when they passed a resolution in the Cabinet calling for the restoration of statehood.

“In the business of the House, the agenda didn’t mention anything about bringing a resolution. So, we had to bring a resolution, because it reflects the collective aspirations of the people. It is something that even NC promised in their campaign, something that got them this mandate. The National Conference even promised that they would bring the resolution for restoration of special status on the first day. They should have supported us. We moved this resolution, but we didn’t want the debate today. We just wanted this debate to happen in the first session,” he said.

National Conference chief spokesman Tanvir Sadiq said the party would bring up the issue of constitutional guarantees in the House on Wednesday. “When they (PDP) knew the National Conference and the government were bringing it (resolution), it seems it was done only to get space in the media,” he said.

Before the commotion in the House, there was a display of bipartisanship when senior National Conference leader Abdul Rahim Rather was elected unopposed as the Speaker. Minister Javed Ahmad Dar moved the motion, which was seconded by National Conference legislator Arjun Singh Raju. Pro-tem Speaker Mubarak Gul put the motion before the House, and Rather was elected as Speaker through a voice vote without any opposition.

Omar called Rather a “natural choice” for the post of Speaker, saying: “That’s why no one opposed it.” Opposition leader Sunil Sharma of the BJP also congratulated Rather and assured him of support. He said Opposition legislators would maintain the discipline and decorum of the House, but also warned that this discipline should not be “treated as our weakness”.

The first day of the session also saw an address by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who said: “The aspiration for return to statehood remains strong.”

“The Council of Ministers have passed a resolution for restoration of statehood. This resolution reflects the will of the people. My government will make all efforts for restoration of the state and the constitutional guarantees,” he said in the address.

The National Conference later said the L-G mentioning constitutional guarantees was a big achievement. “In the L-G’s address, there was talk about constitutional guarantees and the return of statehood. It is a big achievement,” NC spokesman and legislator Sadiq said.

The start of the Assembly session on Monday marked the first time that the J&K Assembly has convened since it was dissolved in 2018. This comes after an Assembly election was held for the first time in a decade in J&K, in which an alliance of the National Conference and the Congress, along with other parties, won a majority of seats. NC vice-president Omar Abdullah took oath as chief minister on October 16.

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