CM regrets remarks, says Speaker can expunge unparliamentary word, if used
*Omar targets LoP again saying field commander left his army alone
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 11: Amidst unprecedented pandemonium by 29-member BJP group in the Legislative Assembly initially during first half of Question Hour and then for over an hour during debate on the grants of Health and Education Minister Sakina Itoo including walkout by all BJP MLAs, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed regret over remarks made by him during yesterday’s Assembly proceedings, resulting into restoration of order in the House around 12 noon.
There was trouble in the House right from the morning when the sitting began for the day with all BJP members led by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma on their feet seeking apology from Omar for his yesterday’s remarks against the BJP MLAs. After disrupting Question Hour for half an hour, the BJP MLAs staged walkout in the House.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
The Chief Minister, who was not present in the Assembly till protests and sloganeering by the BJP, returned to the House as soon as the BJP members walked-out and replied to two questions and supplementaries pertaining to Revenue and Tourism Departments.
The BJP members returned to the Assembly at 11 AM soon after the Question Hour was over and Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather took up demands of Sakina Itoo’s departments. The CM was present in the House but left. The BJP MLAs trooped into Well of the House shouting slogans and staging sit-in for over an hour till Omar returned to the House and made a statement.
Click here to watch video
“As far as emotions are concerned, things do get said in the heat of the moment. If what I said hurt them, I regret that,” Omar said in his brief statement in the House which was heard with rapt attention by the BJP MLAs from their seats.
He, however, said whatever he said was about them, he did not bring any of their family members into it.
Referring to LoP Sunil Sharma albeit without naming him, Omar criticised his absence from among the protesters (after Question Hour) saying their `field commander’ abandoned them at the time of the crisis but “I salute them for holding their fort”. The BJP MLAs, however, pointed out that he has gone for some urgent work outside.
“Had I been allowed to speak yesterday even for a minute, I would have made a statement then and there but the `field commander’ wasn’t ready to listen,” Omar said, adding the brave army kept fighting even without the commander.
“The commander has left the field but I won’t. I did not mention any of their relatives. However, their field commander dragged my parents and my late grandfather into the matter. But let that also go. I am willing to leave that aside,” he said.
“I care as much about my MLAs as I care about them. If I say that I am the elected Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, then I represent the voters here (treasury benches) as well as their voters (opposition).
“This morning, all their questions were pending. It would have been very easy for us; there were many questions that might have been difficult for us to answer. Now, because of this commotion, those questions will remain unanswered. And the Minister rightly said that departments like Education, Health, and Social Welfare are very important. I do not want their voters to feel ignored,” he said.
Addressing the Speaker, Omar said, “I leave it to you – if in my speech yesterday I used any unparliamentary word, you may expunge it from the record. I have no objection.”
Earlier, as the House assembled for the day, BJP legislator Sham Lal Sharma stood up and demanded that the Leader of the House should apologise for his remarks or a statement be made by the Speaker in absence of the Chief Minister.
“Such an incident has no precedent. The language used by the Chief Minister, the Leader of the House, is not language that can be used in any Parliament…I want to ask the Leader of the House whether he withdraws the words he used yesterday in this House about the BJP legislative party,” Sharma said.
“If he does not withdraw them, then we leave it to his conscience- what his inner voice tells him — whether the words used in this House were appropriate or not. If the chief minister is not present here, then I leave it to the Chair and to make a response. It is your responsibility to say something about this matter,” he said.
BJP MLA Pawan Gupta said the Speaker can expunge undignified remarks.
“You are custodian of the House. The undignified and unparliamentary words can be expunged. Even if it is slip of tongue, the CM can come to the House and retract the remarks,” Gupta said.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather tried to persuade the BJP members to allow the Question Hour to continue and rake up the issue when the Leader of the House is on the floor.
“Whatever happened yesterday was unfortunate. Let the Chief Minister come and if he wishes he can make a statement. I can’t make a statement on his behalf,” the Speaker said.
Health and Education Minister Sakina Itoo accused BJP members of using unparliamentary words as well, particularly against Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and speaking lies in the House.
She said the LoP should apologize for cancellation of admission of 50 students in Shrine Board college on Hindu-Muslim basis, remarks against the Deputy CM and Darbar Move.
Choudhary suggested the Chair to examine all the unparliamentary words used from both sides and expunge these from the records to continue the proceedings without any disruption.
BJP leader and former Minister Surjit Singh Slathia said the Government should listen to the Opposition and a direction should go from the Chair to the treasury benches to maintain sanctity of the House. The DyCM, however, countered him saying they don’t need any lecture as they are also elected MLAs and not nominated.
BJP MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia urged the Speaker to expunge the words (used by the Chief Minister) saying the issue will be over.
Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma then led the BJP walkout, chanting slogans like “derogatory sarkar hai hai and unparliamentary sarkar hai hai” besides ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. The Question Hour was disrupted for exactly half an hour but resumed after the walkout.
As the Question Hour ended, the BJP legislators were back in the House and this time they trooped into the well and staged a sit-in to press for their demand of CM’s apology over his “unparliamentary remarks” against them.
However, LoP Sunil Sharma didn’t return.
BJP members gathered in the first row and later trooped into the well shouting slogans against the Government and seeking apology from the Chief Minister.
However, the Speaker said they cannot raise the issue again after walking out from the House on the issue.
The BJP claimed that the Chief Minister left the House on seeing them entering the Assembly.
The Speaker asked the House not to record the BJP protest and continued the proceedings. Later, they gathered in the Well and staged a sit-in.
The BJP members used number of slogans during their sit-in for over an hour and returned to the seats only after the Chief Minister came back to the House around 12 noon and agreed to make a statement.
However, even during the BJP sit-in, other MLAs spoke on the grants of Sakina Itoo. The House proceedings returned to normal at 12.15 PM.
The post Unprecedented pandemonium by BJP, sloganeering leads to disruption of House proceedings appeared first on Daily Excelsior.