SRINAGAR: Various lawmakers of Kashmir’s twin houses called for restoring the value system of the House so that members avoid resorting to bad mouthing and threats. Though the law minister pleaded for a mechanism, the Speaker regretted the incidents of Tuesday and asked for maintaining decorum of the house.

Legislative Assembly Speaker: Kavinder Gupta

“When I saw the proceedings of the House on the Youtube, I feel ashamed as an individual,” Abdul Haq Khan, law minister, said in a brief intervention. “I have not seen people being welcomed by abuses. How will respectable people see all this?”

Khan was responding to the statement that Agha Ruhullah made on the issue of lynching. “This House has exhibited a fall in its moral system,” Agha said. “I call upon the Speaker and the House that if the Nagpuri Sarkar cannot protect the political autonomy of this House, let us make efforts to prevent deterioration in its value system.”

NC provincial president Jammu and MLA Devender Singh Rana

The House actually started with a suo moto intervention by NC leader Devinder Singh Rana. Taking the Tuesday statement of Minister Imran Raza Ansari as a threat, he sought Speaker’s directions to the State Police Chief for registration of a formal police case. “I could simply go to the police station Shaheedgunj and register an FIR,” Rana said. “But to uphold the decorum of the House I am seeking a direction from the Speaker.”

Ansari on Tuesday had used the lynching while telling the House that Rana, the big business magnate, has already migrated his businesses to the GSTN while he preaching against the new tax regime. “I see it as a criminal act and a threat,” Rana said. “If something happens to me, this government will be responsible.”

Agha Syed Ruhulla

Taking the talk further, a BJP lawmaker said there have been various such sentences being uttered in the house. One member said he would set afire the house, the m

Imran Raza Ansari

ember said, Mohammad Akbar Lone, former Speaker, was instantly on his legs: “Yes I said it.”

Ali Mohammad Sagar intervened saying the BJP lawmakers, last time, made a serious attempt to kill independent lawmaker Engineer Rashid. He said the first-timers in the House are facing certain problem to maintain the decorum of the House. When a BJP members, tried intervention seeking his votes with which he is in house, Sagar fiercely reacted: “You people go to Raghunath Bazar and get cotes, go to Khanyar and see if there is anybody willing to listen the name of India.”

After all this debate, it was Speaker Kavinder Gupta speaking. “There have been some unfortunate instances in which the members resorted to bad mouthing,” Gupta said. “Some people even dubbed others as traitors which is unfortunate. I seek unconditional apology for whatever has happened.”

But the House did not budget an inch from what it has been doing. Despite Speaker’s intervention, the issue re-emerged when BJP’s Sat Sharma made a reference to Rana’s demand. This triggered intervention by Minister Sajjad Lone. “Imarn did not mean lynching, it was just verbal,” he said. “If you want FIR against him, then one lakh FIRs can be registered against NC.” But various opposition members reacted telling him lynching is lynching, you do or say it.

Former speaker Akbar Lone at his official residence in Srinagar.

At this point former Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone said Ansari may have to explain. Ansari did explain saying he did not mean it. He read out his statement again. “I said I can lynch you here for your shady businesses,” Ansari said, concluding: “Nobody can lynch a blue whale like you.”

The House of Elders on Tuesday witnessed the worst of sorts when the NC and PDP lawmakers engaged in throwing at each other, the assembly records and using the choicest invectives on each other. Old timers watching the Council proceedings termed it unprecedented.

Ghulam Nabi Monga
Ghulam Nabi Monga

“The use of abusive language in the House created a situation that regretting it is too small,” Congress lawmaker Ghulam Nabi Monga said. “No respectable member can afford all this.” He suggested that the members who were involved in the worst happening of the House should regret their behaviour formally.

The Chairman of the House regretted the incidents and asked the House to resume. Incidentally he asked a member from the Treasury benches to start speaking at a time when opposition was seeking time. This led to a situation that the entire opposition boycotted the proceedings of the House for the day.

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