Assembly turns Ground Zero

Srinagar: The state legislative house witnessed pandemonium Thursday after scores of marshals grappled with opposition BJP and NPP MLAs, protesting against the speech of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in which he called Jammu and Kashmir as “Outstanding International Issue” and termed accession as mere agreement not merger of state with India.
As marshals jostled with opposition members to evict them on speaker’s command, BJP MLA—Durga Das got injured while his colleague complained of hypertension. A marshal was also injured and had to be removed to hospital after he complained severe pain in abdomen.
The high dram unfolded few minutes after the house assembled for day’s proceedings as BJP and NPP members tried to storm into the well of the House. As the members tried to proceed towards the well amid sloganeering against Omar, Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone ordered marshals to evict the protesting MLAs from the house.
Initially, the marshals tried to escort the MLAs but the latter entered into a scuffle and in jostling, BJP’s Durga Das and a marshal, Ghulam Hassan, were injured. Das was later given first aid by the medical staff present in the Assembly while the marshal was shifted to hospital.
Earlier, as soon as the House assembled for the proceedings, NPP’s Harsh Dev Singh and some BJP members sought the permission of the Speaker to raise some points with regard to Omar’s reply on the law and order debate in the Assembly on Wednesday. However, as Singh was seeking permission, the other members started to raise high pitched slogans.
The speaker warned the agitating members to take their seats but the refused and instead continued with slogans like—“Hurriyat ka agenda nahi chalega (We will not allow Hurriyat agenda)”, ‘Separatist Government nahi chalegi” and “Pakistani agenda nahi chalega”.
Later, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar requested the Speaker to allow the Opposition MLAs to return to the house.
“Every MLA has a right to express himself but it should be in a peaceful way and not by hooliganism or turning the House into a fish market,” Lone responded saying the MLAs were welcome and would be allowed to speak but insisted that they should maintain discipline.
However, the BJP legislature party has decided to boycott the remaining part of the Assembly session which will end on October 9.
The BJP members also warned to launch agitation against the remarks by Chief Minister.
“We have decided to boycott the remaining session as a mark of protest against the Chief Minister’s statement. Our legislators will not return to house unless Chief Minister seeks apology,” senior BJP leaders, Ashok Khajuria and Chaman Lal Gupta told journalists outside the house.
The members of JKNPP said that the decision on whether to boycott assembly will be announced later after a meeting with party high command.