Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 29: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly saw fresh turmoil on Tuesday, a day after BJP MLA R.S. Pathania moved a no-confidence motion against Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, signed by 26 party legislators, in an already charged political atmosphere.
The motion came moments after the Speaker admitted a fresh resolution seeking restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir — the second such resolution to come before the current Assembly, this one carrying a pointed reference to the 2000 autonomy resolution.
As Pathania introduced the motion, BJP legislators broke into loud protests, and the House descended into noisy, tense scenes.
Pathania said 26 party members had formally moved the motion seeking Rather's removal and argued that, given the development, the Speaker should refrain from conducting further proceedings of the House.
Citing three precedents from Parliament and one from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, he insisted the Speaker must step aside until the removal motion was taken up for consideration.
The Speaker, maintaining his composure, said the motion would be formally listed in the Assembly's business and processed strictly under the established rules. He said he had already submitted the matter in writing to the Assembly Secretariat, and clarified that under the rules, the motion could be taken up "any day 14 days after receiving the notice." He added that he could not leave the chair vacant while the House was in session and legislative business was underway.
The confrontation had been simmering since earlier in the day, when Pathania questioned the role of the Assembly and the Speaker in admitting resolutions and bills — seen as a veiled critique of recent legislative business. His remarks drew immediate objections from National Conference members, prompting the Speaker to intervene and insist that Pathania be heard without interruption.
"You sit down. Let him speak. He has a point. It is between him and me," Rather told the ruling party benches.
But responding to Pathania's arguments, the Speaker firmly rejected the BJP legislator's reading of the Assembly's rules, noting that Pathania, himself a practising lawyer, had misinterpreted the relevant provisions. "It is unfortunate that you didn't read the rule properly," Rather said, adding, "You are a practising lawyer. You should have read it properly." |