By News Agency of Kashmir
Srinagar : It was free for all in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly for third consecutive days with opposition and ruling coalition members trading charges against each other.
The Assembly was adjourned for the day after Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party MLAs created ruckus over the suspension of one their colleague and National Conference took umbrage to the allegations of Finance Minister Tariq Hamid Karra that party was adopting double standards.
The House was adjourned first time immediately as members entered the House and National Conference MLAs from Kupwara including Kafil-ur-Rehman, Jamsheed Lone and Saifullah Mir dressed in ‘black gowns’ alleging discrimination with Kupwara district trooped into the well and staged a forceful protest.
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party MLAs Balwant Singh, Faqir Nath and Yashpal Kundal also protested against the suspension of their party colleague and demanded revocation of the order.
Amid the uproar and pandemonium in the House, the speaker adjourned the assembly for ten minutes.
As soon as the House reassembled, NC MLAs again staged the protest on the issue of discrimination.
Deputy Speaker Akbar Lone, who was on the chair, asked the members to take their seats and said that by staging the protest they were playing to the galleries. Unrelenting the NC MLAs were marshaled out on the directions of the Deputy Speaker.
At this senior NC leader and MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar rose from his seat and said that issue of discrimination against Kupwara was important and should be discussed in the Assembly.
All the members stood on their seats and supported their party colleagues.
As Speaker Tara Chand assumed the chair, Panther Party MLAs stood on their chairs asking the Speaker to specify under what rules Harsh Dev Singh has been suspended.
Speaker did not pay any heed and asked Housing Minister Qazi Mohammad Afzal to speak, leading to furious protests by the Panther Party MLAs Balwant Singh Mankotia, Faqir Nath and Yashpal Kundal, who rushed to the well and snatched mike from the Speaker.
National Conference also joined Panthers Party in demanding revocation of Harsh Dev’s suspension and moved a notice to this effect.
As the things went out of control, Speaker Tara Chand adjourned the House for second time.
As soon as the House reassembled for the third time and Finance, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister started speaking, Panther Party MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia again rushed to the well of the House and snatched mike from the Minister. He was marshaled out of the House.
Finance Minister accused NC of adopting double standards and said, “Your members are not cooperating in running the house smoothly”.
“Your members are not under your control and are playing to the media galleries”, he said, while pointing to the opposition benches.
“Yeh sab dramabazi kar rahe hain,” Karra alleged leading to a verbal dual with NC MLAs who started raising slogans.
Leaving aside the parliamentary conventions they started personal attack on Finance Minister alleging that he has encroached land and what not.
Leader of the Opposition Abdul Rahim Rather losing his cool said that Finance Minister has lost his mental balance and he should be admitted to ‘mental hospital.’
Sensing the unrelenting mood of MLAs of opposition and the treasury benches Speaker Tara Chand adjourned the house for the day.