BJP, NPP boycott house, stage sit-in outside LA
Srinagar: Heightening rhetoric, the members of Bhartiya Janta Party and National Panthers Party Friday staged protest outside the assemble house against the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s remarks over nature of Kashmir problem.Omar, the third generation chief minister from the family after his grandfather Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, had questioned Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India, asserting it was not merger of the state with New Delhi.  Besides, Omar called Jammu and Kashmir an outstanding issue between India and Pakistan with international recognition during his speech in the State Assembly on Wednesday last.Press Bureau of India correspondent said that the BJP, NPP and Independent MLA from Jammu boycotted the proceedings of the house and instead stage a sit-in protest against the remarks by Omar Abdullah who heads the coalition of National Conference and Congress in the state.As the proceedings in the house were going on, Panthers Party legislator Harsh Dev Singh entered the assembly and submitted a petition to the speaker, demanding that the chief minister’s remarks be deleted from the proceedings of the house. “Chief Minister’s speech violates section three of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir,†said Singh and moved outside the house to join other party members in the sit-in protest.The state legislative assembly witnessed high drama Thursday over the remarks with protesting opposition members jostling with watch and ward staff of the assembly after Speaker, Mohammad Akhbar Lone ordered their eviction from the house. Four MLAs of the BJP and NPP sustained minor injuries as they were marshaled out of the assembly yesterday.Both BJP and Panthers Party legislators later announced to boycott the rest of the ongoing assembly session, culminating tomorrow.Meanwhile, several attempts were made by the Assembly secretariat, government and some MLAs to persuade the BJP and NPP members to end their boycott.CPI (M) MLA M Y Tarigami urged the Speaker to renew the attempts to bring back the opposition members.“Since yesterday, I am in touch with the members directly as well as through some officials in this regard. However, I do not agree with your assertion that they can do whatever they like in the House,†Lone told Tarigami.Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, Minister for Medical Education R S Chib, National Conference MLA Nazir Gurezi and Tarigami met the protesting BJP members in an attempt to persuade them for ending their boycott.Meanwhile, in absence of the majority of opposition including PDP, BJP and NPP, as many as 18 Members took part in the Zero Hour and raised the issues of public importance pertaining to their constituencies and sought their redressal.CPI (M), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami urged for reviewing all the cases of all those detained under Public Safety Act cases. He called for the release of Shabir Ahmad Shah in view of serious illness of his mother.NC’s Nazir Ahmad Gurezi called for construction of new power projects in his constituency while Radhey Sham Sharma demanded establishment of independent PDD division in Nowshera.Ch. Mohammad Ramzan, Mir Saifullah and Mr. Kafil-ur-Rehman demanded expeditious rehabilitation for the families affected by floods and rains in Kupwara and Bandipora districts besides called for repairing of damaged infrastructure in their constituencies. .Feroz Ahmad Khan demanded relief for flood affected people of Kargil.PDP’s Hakeem Mohammad Yasin demanded relocation of Army camp from Sukhnag nallahMohammad Ashraf Ganai, MLA Sopore, demanded upgradation of High Schools to Higher Secondary Schools and opening of new Higher Secondary Schools in his constituency.Others who raised public importance issues including Bimla Luthra, Mohammad Yasin Shah, Indu Pawar, Charnjit Singh, Irfan Ahmad Shah, Er Abdul Rashid and Peer Afaq.