Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Mar 7: Alleging bias against them and special treatment to the ruling party MLAs by the Speaker, opposition BJP members lodged a strong protest in the Legislative Assembly, here today, during the Question Hour.
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Leader of Opposition, Sunil Sharma was joined by his party colleagues in registering the vociferous protest before the Speaker after Mehraj Malik of Aam Aadmi Party and Hasnain Masoodi of National Conference raised supplementary issues not allied to the main question.
Sunil alleged that the Chair was allowing some members to interrupt the BJP MLAs and divert attention of the House. “You need to maintain dignity of the House and should not allow the supplementary issues, which are non-allied to the main question and meant to divert attention,” he said and reminded that debate was not allowed during the Question Hour.
Even as the Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather said that the House has not taken notice of the members raising issues not allied to the main question, the BJP MLAs, including Baldev Sharma, Vikram Randhawa, Shakti Raj Parihar, R S Pathania, Dr Narinder Singh, Prof Gharu Ram, Rajeev Jasrotia and others kept protesting while standing from their respective seats.
They alleged that whenever any member is found cursing BJP and Prime Minister Modi, the Speaker allows him to continue with no time constraint.
Claiming that the ruling party was encouraging such members, Sunil Sharma further said: “Yesterday my speech was frequently interrupted by an Independent MLA, who was later seen coming out of the National Conference chamber.”
The remark provoked Independent MLA from Langate, Sheikh Khursheed Ahmed to enter into verbal dual with Sunil Sharma. Narinder Singh and other BJP MLAs were seen signalling Sheikh Khursheed to behave properly as he moved from his seat questioning Sunil Sharma’s authority to stop him from raising issues.
While the Speaker also told Sheikh Khursheed to go back to his seat, Mubarak Gul was seen standing up from his chair for retaliating the BJP charges against the ruling National Conference. He was joined by some other NC members,
The commotion, which took place during reply of the Minister for Agriculture, Javed Ahmad Dar to main question and supplementary by Sunil Sharma, continued for a few minutes before resumption of the Question Hour.
While the BJP alleged special treatment to ruling party members, some National Conference MLAs on the other hand, accused the Government Departments of misleading the House.
Not satisfied over the reply of Minister for Jal Shakti, Javed Ahmad Rana on his listed question regarding drought-like condition in some areas of Srigufwara-Bijbehara Assembly constituency, NC MLA Basheer Ahmad Veeri said that the Government department did not know anything about the ground realities and was misleading the House.
Nizam-ud-Din Bhat of Congress also raised his objection over too many supplementary questions and attempt to debate the issue in non-adherence to the Assembly precedence.
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