By News Agency of Kashmir
Srinagar : National Conference Legislative Council members have said that they would approach Governor and appeal him to exercise his constitutional powers to declare the election as null and void.
Addressing a Press Conference here at Party headquarters, National Conference Legislative Members said the election of Legislative Council Chairman was unconstitutional and that the charged the protem Chairman P. Namgyal of blackening the face of democracy in the Legislative Council yesterday while resorting to most undemocratic
means to get the PDP candidate elected.
Members, led by Sakina Ittoo NC, termed the yesterday's elections as undemocratic and unconstitutional.
Sakina Ittoo said "we served a motion to the Chair to conduct the election through secret ballot instead of voice vote and also demanded discussion on spurt in Human Rights Violations in the state and also on the brute force used against the protesting unemployed Technocrats, Engineers, Teachers and Anganwari workers, but the acting Chairman in
dictatorial manner did not allow us to discuss these vital issues of urgent public importance".
She said fearing that some members of coalition may vote against the PDP candidate, the acting Chairman opted for a voice vote that too when National Conference Legislative members were dragged out of the House and doors bolted from inside.
Describing the event as unparallel in the parliamentary history, Devender Singh Rana said that with clear violation of rules and procedures PDP managed the success of their candidate.
Quoting the rule of procedure of conducting the business in the House he said that acting Chairman made a mockery of democracy and thwarted the voice of the members. He said that the members were deprived of the rights in the most undemocratic manner.
Taking a strong exception of the official version in which it was said that National Conference Legislators were given three minutes to return to the House before the election, Rana said that it is blatant lie when the fact of the matter is that the National Conference members were forced to leave the House by the Watch and Ward staff and the House was bolted thereby restricting the entry of the National Conference members into the House.
On being asked by media-men that whether the National Conference's walkout from the House was a face saver for the party, Miss Sakina Ittoo retorted that they had not walked out but were evicted forcibly despite the resistance by the members who later sat on Dharna raising slogan at the entry gate of the House.
On being asked what will be the further course of action in case if the Governor does not respond favorably, Sakina said that Governor is the custodian of the constitution of the State and we are confident that he will not disappoint us. However, she asserted that the legal recourse was always available to the party.
Rana appealed the forth estate which he said is an important part of the democracy to support this plight of the National Conference to uphold the democratic norms and values of the Upper House.
Among others who were present on the occasion included M.R . Qureshi, MLC, Ch. Bashir Ahmed Naz, MLC, Senior National Conference leader – Mohd Shafi Uri and Bashir Wani.