Aakash Hassan
Jammu
Uproar and sloganeering by the opposition over the unrest in the valley that erupted after the killing of Burhan Wani on July 8 marred the first day of the Budget session 2017 in Jammu and Kashmir Legislative assembly.
As the members gathered to listen to the Governor’s address, opposition members jumped from the tables and begun shouting slogans against the government.
The opposition members including from NC, Congress and independent lawmakers displayed placards, “Revoke PSA’s”, “Release arrestees”.
Earlier in the day, the firebrand lawmaker Er Rasheed held a protest outside the assembly complex demanding plebiscite for both regions of Kashmir. He was seen holding, a huge banner — “hold plebiscite on both sides of LOC”.
The agitating members threw placards towards Governor while he was addressing.
However, Governor addressed the joint house amid the uproar and left before the “national anthem” was over.
Meanwhile, the proceedings in the house started with obituary reference on the demise of the former Governor of J&K, SK Sinha and other former members of the house who died recently.
In the upper house, opposition members begun shouting slogans and staged a walkout.
The members were demanding, compensation and investigation into the killings that took place in the 2016 unrest in the valley.
Later, the proceedings were started with senior NC legislator, Mohammad Shafi Uri, who paid tribute to the slain former members.
He also invoked that a discussion should be held over the recent killings in Kashmir valley.
Nawang Rigzin Jora of congress later said that the “house should not only discuss the unrest in Kashmir but what lead to it”.
“The unholy alliance is responsible for the bloodshed in the valley,” said Jora terming the Kashmir situation as “mass-uprising” and not “law and order problem”.
“There was a sense of betrayal in the hearts of people,” he said, “killing of Burhan Wani was a mere trigger.”
He was interrupted by the members from the PDP that lead to a heated exchange of words in house for next few minutes.
CPI (m) leader and senior legislator from Kulgam, M Y Tarigami also paid tribute to the slain members and later said, “We can’t just afford to count deaths.”
“We have to come together so that deaths can stop,” Tarigami said, warning union government that they “should learn a lesson and they can not overlook when one part is drenched in blood”.
Langate lawmaker, Rasheed in his speech said that the key to peace in the state lies in the Plebiscite. He asked, “what is India afraid of,?
House erupted again, when NC lawmakers objected to the, statement of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti that “election rigging in 1987 was the first assault on the aspiration of youth”, directing towards National conference.
NC legislators, Mohammad Akbar lone and Abdul Majeed Larmi stood up from the chairs and begun shouting at CM telling her to correct herself.
“Your father was Home minister at that time and he was responsible,” Larmi shouted in the house, “RSS alliance is the most painful betrayal to the Kashmir.”
The house was calmed down by the speaker and CM continued her speech.
“It was unfortunate and killings should not have taken place,” she said
Mehbooba said that those advocating the commission should know that report of 2010 killings came yesterday and that it took six years.
She accused the opposition of being behind the unrest, “you strated it and you should discuss first with me.”
CM concluded her speech requesting opposition to help her in improving the situation.
The house concluded with two minutes of silence in the respect of slain ex-members and former governor of the house who passed recently.
