Letter To Editor When Muscle Replaces Mandate

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
NC MLAs with members of its alliance partners protest over the Waqf (Amendment) Act during Budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, in Jammu, Wednesday. PTI file photo

I write with deep concern and a heavy heart over the recent events in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly session. What we witnessed was not a dignified debate on public welfare, but a public display of personal grudges. It was an unsettling erosion of ethics and discipline.

The Assembly, which should be a place of lawmaking and leadership, instead became a stage for drama. Heated arguments, personal attacks, and adjournments marked the session more than any constructive discussion. Many of our elected representatives appeared more focused on settling scores than solving problems. Sadly, the hopes people placed in their leaders before the elections are fading fast.

This decline in conduct is not just an internal issue of the Assembly, it spills into public life. From news broadcasts to social media, people are watching their leaders trade insults instead of ideas. One incident, in particular, saw a disagreement over the Waqf Bill descend into a shouting match, complete with vulgar language and finger-pointing, continuing even outside the Assembly complex. These moments, caught on camera, made our public house look more like a battleground than a hall of governance.

The 21-day budget session that began on March 3 and ended on April 9, 2025, was marked more by personal feuds than policy focus. There was hardly any serious discussion on the issues that actually matter to the people – health, education, unemployment, infrastructure. Instead, we saw some leaders acting like action heroes, others like mob leaders, forgetting the voters who put them there.

It is high time we ask: where are the ethics? Where is the sense of duty? Remarks like“His father has disinherited him” are not just inappropriate, they erode public faith in democracy.

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Let this be a wake-up call. Both individuals and parties must approach the Assembly floor with open minds and a focus on public welfare, not personal vendettas. Until that happens, promises will remain unfulfilled, and the public will continue to feel disillusioned.

Sincerely,

Ayaan Saroori

Jammu & Kashmir

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