BJP Holds protest in Jammu parts
SUHAIL KHAN
SRINAGAR, Nov 06: Hours after the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed a resolution seeking dialogue on restoring Article 370, the opposition BJP camp on Wednesday attacked the JKNC government, stating that it will not allow the proceedings of the house to move until the resolution stands suspended.
Speaking to Kashmir Despatch, Sunil Sharma emphasized that the provisions of Article 370 of the constitution, which conferred special rights on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, were abrogated in Parliament, the highest temple of democracy.
In response to the resolution, he stated that until it is rolled back, they will continue their protests and not allow the proceedings of the house. He added that the resolution is not part of the Assembly’s listed business and reflects the mindset of the newly elected government in the union territory.
He also mentioned that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has promised that statehood will be restored, but they must wait for the appropriate time.
Furthermore, he reacted to Speaker Abdul Rahim, claiming he behaved as an agent of the ruling party, the National Conference (NC), and undermined the dignity of the chair.
‘Congress should clear its stand on resolution’
Moreover, the BJP leader also said that the Congress, which is the alliance partner of the ruling JKNC, should clear its stance on the resolution.
“Congress leaders should come out and clearly say whether they support it or not. If they support it, the people of the country will question them. If not, then without their six MLAs, the resolution as well as the government is in minority,” Sharma remarked.
Earlier in the house, “Jai Shri Ram” chants echoed in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly amid chaos over the passing of a resolution seeking a dialogue between the Centre and elected representatives for the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state.
According to the Kashmir Despatch team present in the session, BJP members stormed the well of the House, tearing copies of the document and raising slogans against the Speaker and the National Conference (NC) government.
As the NC and the BJP exchanged barbs, opposition members raised various slogans including “Jai Shri Ram,” “August 5 Zindabad,” “Vande Mataram,” “Anti-national Agenda Nahi Chalega,” “Anti-Jammu Agenda Nahi Chalega,” “Pakistani Agenda Nahi Chalega,” and “Speaker Hai Hai,” which reverberated throughout the House.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit staged a protest to denounce the resolution regarding the restoration of J&K’s special status.
Led by party president Sat Paul Sharma, a group of BJP workers emerged from the party headquarters at Trikuta Nagar in the outskirts of the city on Wednesday afternoon and set ablaze a joint effigy of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his deputy Surinder Choudhary, amidst slogans against the National Conference-led government.
