Aggressive BJP protests trigger adjournments, 2 govt bills withdrawn
Srinagar, Sep 30: The autumn session of the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly was on Wednesday adjourned sine die by the Speaker.
The ten‑day session concluded after transacting business for over 25 hours across seven sittings.
The brief session saw the adoption of a resolution on statehood, which also referred to the autonomy resolution passed by the legislature of the erstwhile state in 2000, as well as the special status resolution adopted by the Union Territory’s Assembly in 2024.
The resolution triggered sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which dubbed it “anti‑national” and “unconstitutional.”
The session also witnessed high‑voltage drama over salary bills of Ministers and MLAs, forcing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to withdraw them following opposition from the BJP. It also adopted a resolution urging the Government of India to amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 to exempt teachers from Teachers Eligibility Test.
The proceedings often saw heated exchanges between the treasury benches and the main opposition BJP. The BJP, led by Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, was aggressive in the House over issues ranging from governance to its core ideological agenda.
The Speaker had to adjourn the House twice due to disruptions by BJP MLAs.
On the other hand, the non-BJP opposition parties were less effective in House due to sharp divergences between them.
As per details, eight government Bills were received and introduced in the session. Of which six were passed and two withdrawn..
As many 49 previous Private Members Bills and 23 fresh Bills were received by the Assembly secretariat. Of the fresh Bills submitted, 22 were admitted and one disallowed.
Out of them, only one Bill was taken up in the House.
As per details, a total of 646 starred and unstarred questions were received, comprising 328 starred and 318 unstarred questions. Of these, 625 were listed. Twenty questions were disallowed and one withdrawn.
The House received 79 calling attention notices, of which 56 were admitted and 23 disallowed. Thirty were listed during the session.
According to details, 70 Private Member Resolutions were received. Of which 63 were admitted and seven disallowed.
According to details, one only resolution was taken up in the House but none was adopted.
Concluding the proceedings, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the House should end the session on a “positive note” and urged members not to leave with any grudges.
He thanked all members who participated in the proceedings and said his responsibility as the presiding officer was to facilitate members in raising issues concerning the people who elected them.
“I have tried to accommodate everyone irrespective of party, and I reiterate that I don’t belong to any party,” he said.
Acknowledging that the session was brief, the Speaker said that longer sittings would have provide greater opportunity for members to participate in discussions and raise public issues.
He also referred to the disruptions, saying protests and ruckus were normal in legislatures across the world, but stressed that situations were handled appropriately.
He added that he could have marshalled members during disruptions but preferred to exercise patience.
The Speaker said that despite protests, the functioning of the House remained largely uninterrupted and important legislative and parliamentary business was completed.
“Questions and business were not allowed to go waste,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, delivering the concluding remarks, said that despite the brief duration of the session, efforts were made to address issues concerning the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the government had acted on issues raised by both opposition and treasury bench members and directed officers accordingly. Choudhary added that the concerns raised by MLAs had been noted by the government and expressed hope that officers would take the directions of the House and concerns of legislators seriously.
He thanked the Speaker for accommodating members during the session, besides acknowledging the efforts of Assembly employees, security personnel and the media. (KNO)
