Proceedings in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly were disrupted on Wednesday as tensions rose over BJP’s allegations of bias against the Speaker and remarks by the Leader of Opposition on the Pir Panjal region, leading to a BJP walkout and protests by MLAs.
The day witnessed heated exchanges between members of the ruling alliance and the BJP, beginning with the party staging a walkout from the House. BJP legislators accused Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather of favouring treasury bench members by allowing them more time to speak while curtailing the interventions of opposition members.
Despite repeated appeals by the Speaker for members to remain in the House, BJP legislators left in protest, alleging discrimination in the conduct of proceedings. The situation escalated when a verbal duel broke out between BJP members and ruling alliance legislators, who accused the party of pursuing divisive politics and attempting to stall the Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College after a majority of selected students reportedly belonged to the Muslim community.
The controversy intensified when BJP leaders objected to the time allotted to National Conference MLA Sajad Shaheen, who was speaking on the motion of thanks to the Lieutenant Governor’s address. They claimed that ruling party legislators were being given extended opportunities to speak, while opposition voices were being sidelined.
Rejecting the allegations, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather said he was running the House strictly in accordance with established rules and parliamentary conventions, and denied any bias towards any political party.
Meanwhile, fresh turmoil erupted over remarks attributed to Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, in which he reportedly stated that the Pir Panjal region does not exist in Jammu and Kashmir. The issue was raised in the House by Congress MLA Iftikhar Ahmed, who demanded an apology from Sharma, saying his comments had hurt the sentiments of people from Rajouri and Poonch districts.
The demand was supported by several legislators, including National Conference MLA Aijaz Jan, independent members, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Minister Satish Sharma. BJP members, however, strongly opposed the demand, leading to loud protests and disorder in the House.
As members attempted to move towards the Well of the House and came face-to-face, the Speaker struggled to restore order. Eventually, he adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes amid growing chaos.
Following the adjournment, MLAs from Rajouri and Poonch staged a protest outside the Assembly complex, raising slogans in support of the Pir Panjal region and demanding a public apology from the Leader of Opposition. The protesters included Aijaz Jan (NC), Iftikhar Ahmed (Congress), Javaid Iqbal, Muzaffar Iqbal Khan and Choudhary Akram.
Speaking to reporters, Iftikhar Ahmed said the House would not be allowed to function until Sharma apologised. “He has disrespected the people of Pir Panjal. This name has historical significance and must be respected. Our people have sacrificed their lives while defending the borders,” he said.
NC MLA Aijaz Jan echoed similar views, stating that Sharma’s remarks had deeply hurt public sentiments. “We will continue our protest till he apologises on the floor of the House. We will not tolerate any insult to the people who protect this country’s borders,” he said.
However, Sharma refused to withdraw or apologise for his statement. Speaking to reporters, he maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is a single administrative unit and that no separate region by that name exists. “You cannot create such names. Jammu and Kashmir is one unit. People should read ancient texts to understand the historical names of Rajouri, Poonch and the Doda belt,” he said.
The repeated disruptions and confrontations reflected deep political divisions in the Assembly, with both sides accusing each other of undermining democratic functioning. (KINS) Ishtiyaq Kar
