'Govt not serious in tackling major issues of the State': Omar Abdullah
Srinagar: National Conference, the main opposition party in the state, Tuesday announced that it will boycott the ongoing Assembly after its legislators were suspended from both the Houses by the Speaker.
According to KNS correspondent, the Assembly witnessed uproar for the second consecutive day today as the Opposition Congress and National Conference MLAs confronted the government over the controversial beef ban and rehabilitation of flood victims.
Former Chief Minister of the state and National Conference working President Omar Abdullah accused the Speaker Kavinder Gupta, who is a BJP legislator from Jammu region, for “suppressing voice of the opposition”.
Omar reacted after the speaker rejected his party’s demand of suspending the Question Hour to discuss the issue of Article 35-A, which deals with the status of permanent residents of the state.
“We will boycott the rest of the (ongoing Assembly) session” Omar told reporters soon after walking out from the Assembly.
Omar also questioned the silence of Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed over the uproar in the Assembly over beef ban and rehabilitation of the flood victims.
“It was unfortunate that Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed did not intervene during the uproar in the Assembly over beef ban and rehabilitation of the flood victims. Government is not serious to tackle the major issues concerning the state. If it was serious, the Chief Minister would have stood up and intervened,”
Omar said that the House “is being disempowered” and the Chief Minister was hiding behind the Speaker.
“The Speaker is hiding behind the Supreme Court and this House is being disempowered. The Speaker has to function like a Speaker not as a party member,” he added.
The Opposition also alleged that the ruling PDP Government has failed to provide relief to the families affected by the devastating floods in September last year.
As the House began Question Hour proceedings today, two N C legislators, Altaf Kaloo and Abdul Majeed Larmi, created uproar and demanded a debate on Article 35A of the Indian constitution.
However, the Speaker, Kavinder Gupta, did not allow discussion on the Article and suspended Kaloo and Larmi for the rest of the session.
On the occasion Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Syed Basharat Bukhari informed the House that since the Supreme Court was hearing a petition on Article 35A, the assembly cannot discuss the issue.
According to KNS correspondent two other National Conference legislators – Ali Muhammad Dar and Showkat Ahmad Zargar – were also suspended in the upper house. (KNS)
