JAMMU: Chaos broke out in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday as opposition parties, led by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), clashed with the ruling National Conference (NC) and demanded a discussion on the recently passed Waqf Act. The heated session saw PDP legislator Waheed-ur-Rehman Para forcibly evicted from the House as the Speaker denied the motion under Rule 58, which bars discussion of matters pending before the courts.
The assembly was adjourned for thirty minutes after pandemonium gripped the proceedings, with multiple MLAs from Kashmir-based parties protesting the Speaker’s refusal to allow a resolution or discussion on the Act. Around 20 MLAs had initially submitted an adjournment motion seeking to debate the implications of the Waqf legislation, which has drawn widespread opposition from political and religious groups across the country. The Act is already under legal scrutiny, with parties including the AIMIM and Congress having filed petitions in the Supreme Court.
PDP MLA Waheed Para, who was marshalled out while vociferously protesting, later spoke to reporters outside the Assembly. Describing the Speaker’s ruling as “unfortunate”, Para said, “Jammu and Kashmir is the only Muslim-majority region in the country. The whole country’s 24 crore Muslims are watching this.” He urged the 60-member Assembly to support the resolution, warning, “If they do not support a resolution which we have moved against the Waqf Act, I think history will judge us forever.”
Para strongly criticised the Act, alleging that it undermined the religious identity of Muslims and allowed the state to encroach upon sacred spaces. “This Act is against the sentiments and beliefs of Muslims. There is a claim on our cemeteries, masjids, and more,” he said. He also targeted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for “rolling out the red carpet” for Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who had introduced the bill in Parliament. “Our CM sat with the very man who introduced the bill against Muslims,” he charged.
Calling on the government to remain neutral in religious matters, Para said, “Whether it is Jama Masjid, dargah, or anything else, it should not be looked at as real estate but as emotion and identity. The government must not turn such matters into conflict zones.”
Meanwhile, AIP legislator Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh also protested inside the Assembly, shouting “mazhab ka mamla hai (this is a matter of religion),” even as Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather repeatedly urged members to maintain decorum.
The session further descended into turmoil when National Conference and opposition MLAs accused each other of theatrics and political opportunism. When Para attempted to reach the Speaker’s podium to press for the resolution, NC MLA Abul Majid Larmi called him an “RSS agent”, sparking a verbal clash between NC legislators and opposition members. Sajad Lone, president of the People’s Conference, tried to intervene as Para was being escorted out but was stopped by marshals. A shouting match ensued between Lone and NC lawmakers.
“You are doing theatrics. It is ironic that NC legislators are protesting against their own Speaker to fool the public,” Lone said.
As tempers continued to flare, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly could not override decisions made by Parliament. “You cannot undo what Parliament has done,” he said, before adjourning the House for thirty minutes amid the escalating protests. He reiterated that he has already disallowed the adjournment motion and that is final. The lawmakers, however, were unwilling to accept and the pandemonium continued.
