Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that the Assembly has done its job when it passed a resolution seeking a dialogue between the Centre and elected representatives for the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state.
The resolution, which also expressed “concern” over the “unilateral removal” of the special status, was passed without any debate as the Speaker put it to voice vote amidst noisy scenes.
“The assembly has done its job. I will only say this much,” Abdullah told reporters outside the assembly complex and the News agency PTI reported.
As reported by the PTI, NC MLA and J&K’s deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary moved the resolution for restoring the special status of J-K, which was revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019.
“That this legislative assembly reaffirms the importance of the special status and constitutional guarantees, which safeguarded the identity, culture, and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and expresses concern over their unilateral removal,” the resolution moved by Choudhary said.
“This Assembly emphasises that any process for restoration must safeguard both national unity and the legitimate aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the resolution added.
“We Reject the Resolution…”
Opposing the move, BJP members said it was not part of the listed business. “We reject the resolution. The Business given to us was that the discussion is on the Lieutenant governor’s address,” he said. The LoP said there is a “rat race” among parties here “but they all know nothing is going to happen”. “The Act has been passed by the biggest temple of democracy in the country (Parliament),” he added.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Bandipora, Nizamuddin Bhat, slammed the BJP members for “dishonor” to the House. “They have violated the rules”.
However, Amidst the uproar, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather said if the opposition members do not want to speak, “I will put it to vote”.
Chaos in J&K Assembly
The J&K assembly which commenced on Monday after a gap of six years was marred by ruckus after the resolution against the scrapping of Article 370 in August 2019.
Shortly after it was tabled, Bharatiya Janata Party lawmakers resisted the move. Other Jammu and Kashmir BJP MLAs also stood up to oppose the resolution which led to havoc and noise inside the Assembly.
