Speaker assures to expunge anything unparliamentary
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Feb 17: Massive uproar amid chaotic scenes led to disruption of the Legislative Assembly proceedings for nearly half an hour immediately after Question Hour as Congress and some ruling National Conference members along with an Independent MLA raised vociferous objections to alleged remarks made earlier by BJP legislator Vikram Singh Randhawa regarding encroachments on JDA land.
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Raising placards and shouting slogans, Congress MLAs Irfan Hafiz Lone and Iftikhar Ahmad, along with Independent MLA Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad, were demanding apology from Vikram Randhawa over his February 13 statement that 90 per cent of the encroachers on 688 kanals of Jammu Development Authority (JDA) land in his Bahu Assembly constituency were from Kashmir.
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The protesting MLAs, joined by NC’s Salman Sagar, Sajad Shaheen and some members from PDP also attempted to enter Well of the House, but were stopped by the Assembly Marshals.
As the House met this morning after a three-day holiday, Khursheed Ahmad tried to raise the issue but was asked to take his seat by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, who began proceedings with an obituary reference for paying tributes to former minister Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad Shah and former MLC Brij Mohan Sharma, who died on February 13 and February 16, respectively.
While the Question Hour passed off without any disruption, the two Congress legislators and the Independent MLA stood up on their feet and started raising slogans and displaying placards to press for an apology from Randhawa, claiming that he himself has occupied over eight kanals of JDA land and has no justification to point fingers at anyone.
PDP and National Conference Legislators also extended support to the protesting MLAs amid the war of words between Randhawa and the agitated members who accused him of trying to defame Kashmiri Muslims.
Even as the BJP MLA tried to clear his position stating that he did not accuse any individual or community for grabbing the JDA land, Congress and Independent MLAs kept protesting amid slogans and moved towards the front row attempting to enter Well of the House.
During the pandemonium, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary intervened and said that not only JDA, but Government and Forest land have also been encroached and should be probed.
Senior BJP leader Sham Lal Sharma also acknowledged that encroachment of Government land was a very serious matter and the members should not make it a personal issue. “I believe the member (Randhawa) has clarified his position and let the Chair takes a decision,” he said while urging the members to maintain sanctity of the House.
As Hafiz Lone, Kaisar Jamshed, Salman Sagar and others kept pressing for apology from Vikram Randhawa, R S Pathania and some other BJP MLAs were seen arguing with the protesting MLAs.
Justifying his stand, Randhawa said that he did nothing wrong and the reply over his question on encroachment of land was given by the Chief Minister. “I am MLA of my constituency not to construct only lanes and drains but raise the concern of my people in the House. JDA in its reply has stated that 688 kanal land was encroached in Jammu. I had no intention to blame any community,’ he said.
Following this, Dy CM intervened again and said that land grabber has no religion and he knows Vikram Randhawa personally, who is son of Choudhary Pyara Singh and belongs to the community, which can never be communal.
Pertinent to mention that both Surinder Choudhary and Vikram Randhawa belong to Jatt community.
On the intervention of Surinder Choudhary and Sham Lal Sharma, Randhawa made a statement in the House, stating that he has not attacked any community as a whole, but his concern was with regard to certain individuals who have occupied land in his constituency.
“If, in my words, it is proven that I have named any religion or insulted any particular community, I am willing to withdraw those words,” he said.
On this, the Speaker said the member has clarified that he had not intended to target any community and was ready to withdraw his words if anything wrong was said. “I will check the House record and if any unparliamentary remark was made, I will expunge the same,” he said.
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