Srinagar: A resolution calling upon the government of India to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s “special status and constitutional guarantees” was passed in the legislative assembly on Tuesday (November 6) amid protests by the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and chants of ‘Jai Shree Ram’.
The resolution, moved by J&K’s deputy chief minister and National Conference (NC) leader Surinder Kumar Chaudhary, asserted that the assembly “reaffirms the importance of 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 one-page resolution, which was seconded by J&K minister and senior NC leader Sakina Itoo, urged the Government of India to “initiate dialogue with the elected representatives of people of Jammu and Kashmir for restoration of special status, constitutional guarantees, and to workout (sic) constitutional mechanisms for restoring these provisions.”
It added: “The assembly emphasises that any process for restoration must safeguard both national unity and the legitimate aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
After the resolution was tabled in the assembly, senior BJP leader and former J&K minister Sunil Sharma stood up and opposed the move. He accused the ruling NC and “some parties” of being in a “race of being the first” which triggered Itoo from the treasury benches to respond.
“It is not a race. It is our democratic right,” she said, “We will get our rights back. You can’t snatch it from us. If you had not committed this mistake, we would not be here. This is our commitment. We are in the majority in the house. You can’t dictate us,” she said with the NC legislators demanding that there should be a discussion on the resolution in the house.
‘A different language yesterday’
The verbal exchange between Itoo and Sharma triggered both the NC and the BJP legislators who stood up and started shouting at each other, prompting the Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to intervene. Rather urged the members to calm down.
However, the BJP legislator Sham Lal Sharma clambered over the bench in front of him and entered the well of the house where he was soon joined by others. He accused the NC of “playing with the sentiments and emotions of the people of J&K.”
“You were speaking a different language yesterday. Article 370 is final. This political gimmick won’t do. From Sheikh Abdullah to Omar Abdullah, emotional blackmail of J&K has been a routine. Speaker must be independent and not side with any party,” Sharma said.
The saffron party legislators also tore up the resolution which was circulated in the assembly, prompting the marshals to enter the well of the house as the situation appeared to go out of hand. At this point, senior Congress leader Nizamuddin Bhat stood up and told the Speaker that every member has a right to speak on the resolution.
“Once the resolution is moved, the next step is that its approval is sought which leads to a discussion. What that they have done is not only a disservice to the house but also a violation of the rules. Every member has a right to speak and you should not be denying them their rights,” Bhat said, pointing to the BJP legislators who were in no mood to relent.
“If you don’t want to talk (about the resolution), then I will put it to vote. I allowed your leader to speak. If you won’t let him, then I have no choice,” Speaker Rather told the BJP legislators, as the slogans of ‘debate the resolution’ continued to emanate from the treasury benches.
The assembly later passed the resolution following which the House was adjourned by the Speaker for 15 minutes. However, the BJP legislators continued their protest in the well of the House even as the ruling NC and other members walked out of the complex for a break .
Some slogans such as ‘Jahan dain balidan Mukherjee, woh Kashmir hamara hai (Where Mukherjee sacrificed his life, that Kashmir belongs to us)’, ‘Jai Shree Ram ( Hail Lord Ram)’, ‘anti-national agenda nahi chalenge (anti-national agenda won’t work)’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai (Long live Mother India)’ were heard from the protest by the BJP legislators.
“Through this resolution they want to rename Shankaracharya Hill as Takht-e-Suleman. We will not allow it to happen,” one of the BJP legislators could be heard saying.
In a tweet, the ruling NC said that it had fulfilled one of the promises made by the party in its manifesto for the 2024 J&K assembly election.
“Fulfilling its another manifesto promise, JKNC government led by the Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah passes a resolution against snatching of our constitutional guarantees and special status. We now know – J&K refuses the decisions taken on August 5, 2019!,” the party said on X.
The House was later adjourned for an hour as the BJP legislators continued to disrupt the proceedings.
