Opposition Gears Up To Corner J&K Govt In Assembly

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- The 10-day autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, beginning on September 21, is expected to witness sharp exchanges as opposition parties prepare to corner the Omar Abdullah-led government over unemployment, job outsourcing, delayed local body polls and unfulfilled electoral promises.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ahead of the session, Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather has convened an all-party meeting on Thursday to discuss the smooth conduct of proceedings.

The Assembly Secretariat has written to party leaders and members of the Business Advisory Committee, asking them to attend the meeting at 2 pm at the Assembly complex.

According to the letter, the Speaker has invited Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma of the BJP, Ali Muhammad Sagar and Mubarak Gul of the National Conference, CPI(M) MLA Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami, Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Peoples Conference chief Sajad Gani Lone, PDP MLA Mir Muhammad Fayaz and Independent MLA Choudhary Muhammad Akram.

The meeting comes days before the autumn session, with the BJP, PDP and other opposition parties preparing to raise a range of public and governance-related issues.

The BJP, the principal opposition party in the Assembly, has accused the Omar Abdullah government of failing on several fronts and said it would raise issues including alleged irregularities in job outsourcing, corruption and delays in holding Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies polls.

ADVERTISEMENT

BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur said the party would raise public issues in the Assembly and remind the government of its unfulfilled promises made during the 2024 Assembly elections.

“We will raise the issues about the public in the Assembly. There is an outsourcing scam, corruption is continuing unabated, and the Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies' polls are being delayed unnecessarily,” Thakur told PTI.

He said the BJP would also raise the promise of 200 units of free electricity and alleged that development works had come to a standstill after the elections.

The PDP is also expected to target the government over unemployment, outsourcing, the reservation policy and the regularisation of daily wagers in government service.

PDP MLA from Pulwama Waheed Para said the party would seek to raise the maximum number of public issues during the short session, particularly the electoral promises made by the National Conference on governance and political matters.

“The Session's duration is short, and we will try to raise the maximum number of public issues, especially the electoral promises made by the National Conference on both the governance and political fronts,” Para said.

The ruling National Conference, however, said it would present its progress report before the people and urged the opposition to play a responsible role in the House.

NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said public issues remained the government's priority and that it was making efforts to fulfil its electoral promises.

“The government is doing its best to fulfil its electoral promises. We do not claim that we have done everything, but we certainly are on the way to fulfil them,” Dar said.

He said parliamentary democracy envisages the opposition asking questions on public issues and the government being answerable to the House.

“We will do our part with sincerity,” he said, while expecting the opposition to play a responsible role rather than create a sensation.

According to the provisional calendar issued by the Speaker, the session will begin with obituary references on September 21, followed by government business on September 22.

The House will take up Private Members' Bills on September 24, followed by Private Members' Resolutions on September 25. Private Members' Bills will again be discussed on September 28, followed by government business on September 29 and 30.

Four days have been earmarked for government business, while three days have been allocated for Private Members' Bills and Resolutions.

Read Also Speaker Forms BAC for Assembly Autumn Session 7 Sittings in 10‐Day Autumn Session of J&K Assembly

The government is expected to introduce four Bills during the session.

Meanwhile, the BJP has stepped up its preparations ahead of the Assembly proceedings, with Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma scheduled to chair a meeting of party legislators at the BJP headquarters in Jammu.

With the session spread over only 10 days and several contentious issues lined up, the all-party meeting is expected to set the tone for the proceedings and address arrangements for the smooth functioning of the House

MENAFN14092026000215011059ID1111664122