LoP objects to referring Rajouri, Poonch as region; says it was earlier called Chandrabhaga
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Sunil Sharma on Tuesday objected to referring Rajouri and Poonch districts as part of the Pir Panjal region, asserting that no such region exists in Jammu and Kashmir, which he described as a single, undivided unit.
Sharma is in the eye of a storm in the Assembly, where members from Rajouri and Poonch held protests after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather adjourned the House following chaos, with the BJP and the ruling alliance members trading charges and engaging in verbal duels.
“There is no such region in Jammu and Kashmir. Attempts are being made to create separate regional identities, which challenge the historical and cultural unity of Jammu and Kashmir,” Sharma told reporters here.
Replying to a question on whether he would apologise, as demanded by the ruling party, Sharma parried a direct reply, asking where such a region existed.
He said historical and Puranic references should be consulted, as the area was earlier described as the “Chandrabhaga division”. He accused certain elements of trying to “erase or alter” the identity of the region by promoting separate regional nomenclatures.
Sharma maintained that Jammu and Kashmir was one entity formed through the efforts of Maharaja Hari Singh and termed the present-day region as his legacy. He said that if any reorganisation or official nomenclature was to be adopted, it was the government’s responsibility to do so formally.
The BJP leader also criticised what he termed as attempts to project regions such as Pir Panjal and Chenab valley as separate entities, saying such moves could lead to unnecessary divisions.
He further said it is the government’s responsibility to ensure the smooth functioning of the House and objected to ministers asking the opposition to apologise during the proceedings.
Sharma alleged that some parties were acting to suit their political interests and reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir remains an undivided unit.
Meanwhile, members of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly resumed discussion on the Motion of Thanks on Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s address on Wednesday after a brief adjournment following an uproar over the LoP’s reported remarks on Pir Panjal.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather adjourned the House for 15 minutes after several members from the ruling coalition, mostly from Rajouri and Poonch districts, stood up to demand an apology from Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma over his reported remarks that Pir Panjal does not exist.
The ruckus started shortly at the end of the Question Hour, with Congress legislator Iftikhar Ahmad standing up from his seat to question Sharma’s statement during an interview with a portal.
Several ruling legislators, including independents, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Minister Satish Sharma, joined Ahmed to raise the demand, which was strongly opposed by BJP legislators.
Speaker Rather tried to pacify the angry legislators, but many of them tried to move towards the Well of the House and came face-to-face.
Later, he adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
While the ruling legislators chanted slogans like “Inqilab Zindabad’ and ‘Pir Panjal Zindabad’, the BJP legislators raised Vande Bharat and Hindustan Zindabad.
Later, some of the MLAs from Poonch and Rajouri staged a sit-in outside the main entrance of the assembly and threatened to boycott the proceedings until the LOP tenders his apology in the house.