KL Report
Srinagar
Terming the main opposition People’s Democratic Party’s boycott of the ongoing state Assembly session as ‘unnecessary’, Speaker Mubarak Gul Saturday said he tried his best to convince the PDP for ending its boycott.
“They are boycotting the house over return of body of Afzal Guru to his family, but even the government is committed to it and has expressed its wish by writing to the central government. Now what is the logic behind their boycott which I think is unnecessary”, the Speaker told KNS on Saturday.
He said the boycott would only sadden the common people of the state who had expected that their issues would be raised and discussed in the ongoing assembly session.
“We tried our best to convince them and I personally appealed them to end their boycott of the Assembly. Even the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister personally asked them to return to their seats in the house”, Mubarak Gul told news agency KNS.
“People expect us to raise and discuss their issues in the house and they wait eagerly for their issues to come up. Despite repeated appeals to come back to house and raise issues faced by people of the state, they did not return which is unfortunate”, the speaker said and added that the issue already having been discussed in the assembly does not leave any room for the boycott. “For me every member in the assembly is equal”, he said.
Meanwhile, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mir Saifullah said he had personally contacted the PDP leaders for ending the boycott.
“I contacted Abdul Rehman Veeri and also took up the issue with Nizamuddin Bhat who is a part of the Business Advisory Committee”, Saifullah told KNS. However, he said despite trying to contact the PDP President Mehbooba Mufti he was not able to get in touch with her.
“They (PDP) are not doing justice to their role as opposition. They should have played the role of a constructive opposition but people have got saddened because of their decision”, he added. He said that for the MLAs to stake claims for TA, DA and other allowances, their 90 per cent attendance in the house is compulsory, under rules.
Meanwhile, senior PDP Leader and BAC member, Nizamuddin Bhat confirmed to KNS that he had been contacted by the Law Minister asking them to end the boycott of the current assembly session. “I told him that it is a unanimous decision of the legislature party which has authorized Party President Mehbooba Mufti to take any decision on the matter. Any decision has to be taken by her and I asked the minister to get in touch with her”, he said and added that he had no knowledge whether the law minister has contacted the PDP President.
