Noisy Scenes, Walkout In J&K Assembly

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Tuesday witnessed noisy scenes, protests and a walkout as opposition BJP members demanded the establishment of a National Law University in Jammu, while legislators from the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party raised concerns over alleged harassment of Kashmiris outside the Union Territory.

The trouble began soon after the House assembled when BJP MLA Surjit Singh Slathia raised the issue of protests by Jammu University students seeking an NLU for the Jammu region. He said the BJP was not opposed to setting up a law university in Kashmir but insisted that Jammu deserved equal treatment.

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“We are not against an NLU in Kashmir, but the aspirations of students in Jammu must also be fulfilled,” Slathia said.

As BJP members raised slogans and displayed placards demanding an NLU for Jammu, Congress MLA Nizam-ud-Din Bhat objected, saying that displaying placards violated the decorum of the House, as decided by the Business Advisory Committee.

Amid the uproar, NC MLA Mubarak Gul and PDP MLA Wahid-ur-Rehman Para attempted to raise the issue of alleged harassment of Kashmiri students and traders in different parts of the country. Para moved an adjournment motion to discuss what he described as rising incidents of hate crimes against Kashmiris.

Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rejected the adjournment motion and allowed Question Hour to continue, repeatedly urging members to maintain order. He said the issue could be taken up through appropriate procedures without disrupting House business.

The Speaker informed the House that the J&K government had taken up the matter of harassment of Kashmiris with various state governments and thanked the Uttarakhand Chief Minister for prompt action in a recent incident.

During Question Hour, BJP MLAs Rajiv Jasrotia and Pawan Gupta walked out of the House, alleging discrimination against the Jammu region in the allocation of flood relief funds.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary rejected the allegations and said no central funds had been released for flood restoration works during the current financial year. He said funds had been provided under the State Disaster Response Fund and the UT Capex Budget, and additional assistance would be released after submission of detailed proposals.

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