Slogans, placards in J-K House as new session begins

The 40-day Budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature began on Tuesday on a stormy note with opposition members disrupting Governor NN Vohra’s address by raising slogans against the PDP-BJP government and later staging a walkout.

In his address to the joint session of the legislature, Vohra appealed to the Kashmiri separatists to be part of the peace process and accept special representative Dineshwar Sharma’s offer to engage in dialogue.
As soon as Vohra started his address in Central Hall, opposition members were on their feet raising slogans against the government and demanding its dismissal.

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The Governor stopped his address for a while as the opposition continued to wave placards and raise slogans against the People’s Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party government’s “failure” on all fronts.
They accused the state government of having derailed the panchayat system by deciding to hold indirect election of sarpanches.

The Governor’s address was not audible in the din as opposition members thumped their desks to disrupt his speech.
Members of the Congress, National Conference and independents later staged a walkout after the senior-most NC member Mohammad Shafi Uri read a memorandum that he later submitted to the Governor.

Independent MLA Engineer Rashid, who is considered pro-separatists, did not walk out and continued disrupting the Governor’s address, demanding the dismissal of the Mehbooba Mufti government over the killing of innocent people in Kashmir.

Before the session began, he demonstrated outside the legislature complex demanding the right to self-determination in J&K.

After walking out, opposition members squatted outside the Assembly where leader of Congress legislature party Rigzin Jora, and National Conference MLAs Ali Mohammad Sagar and Devinder Rana said the coalition government has failed on all fronts from security to governance.

They said the government has failed to control corruption that has touched a new high under the present regime. Security personnel and innocent people were getting killed in the Valley but the government claims the situation is improving.Casualties suffered by security forces have increased manifold, they said.

Border residents are facing the brunt of Pakistani shelling which has also gone up alarmingly, a former minister said. “They used to taunt us for border skirmishes. Today the situation is that every now and then, the forces and civilians are suffering casualties and the problems of border residents have increased manifold,” he said.

In his address, the Governor stressed that the challenges to the peace process will be met through dialogue, which is the best means of resolving all disagreements.

“Peace is a great force-multiplier. As engagements with all stakeholders gain ground, there will be yearning for peace.And when peace comes, it will create its own externalities,” he said.