SRINAGAR: Lok Sabha member Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Sunday alleged that the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly has failed to address the concerns for which people elected their representatives and has increasingly turned into an arena for political confrontation.
Speaking to reporters after interacting with youth in Kishtwar town, Mehdi said the Assembly was restored to provide an elected forum for public issues following six years of what he described as an “unaccountable” Lieutenant Governor’s administration.
The Srinagar MP said voters in the 2024 Assembly elections had expected their elected representatives to use the House to address everyday problems, including water supply, healthcare, education and employment.
Instead, he alleged, the Assembly was increasingly functioning as a “wrestling ring” rather than an institution focused on resolving public grievances.
Mehdi also criticised what he described as greater emphasis on political confrontation and publicity, alleging that making social media reels had taken precedence over governance and problem-solving.
He questioned the seriousness with which the House was dealing with issues affecting ordinary people and said the Assembly should remain focused on delivering solutions to public concerns.
Mehdi also raised concerns over the dilution of earlier Assembly resolutions relating to autonomy and statehood.
His remarks came two days after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah moved a resolution in the Assembly on September 25 seeking the urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The resolution triggered heated scenes in the House, with BJP members entering the well of the Assembly in protest. Exchanges between BJP legislators and members of the ruling National Conference also escalated into physical confrontation.
The BJP objected to the resolution’s reference to “greater autonomy”, a phrase associated with a resolution adopted by the then NC government in June 2000, when Jammu and Kashmir was a state.
Mehdi, who has set November 3 as the deadline for his exit from the National Conference, made the remarks during his visit to Kishtwar.
