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| With BJP also abstaining, LA grappling hard to maintain quorum | | | Kunal Shrivatsa
JAMMU, Mar 20: Amid People’s Democratic Party's (PDP) boycott of the ongoing Budget session and Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) following the suit after its member Jugal Kishore Sharma was suspended for the entire session yesterday, the Lower House of the State Legislature is grappling hard to maintain the requisite quorum.
And, with members of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) and Jammu State Morcha (JSM) staging a walkout during Question Hour in protest against Speaker's refusal to revoke suspension of Jugal Kishore, the already depleted strength of the present MLAs have gone further down.
Under Rule 13 (A) of Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, as many as 23 members are needed to be present in the House to maintain the quorum or to conduct the proceedings of the House, however, during the day's proceedings the presence of the MLAs in the House remained almost equal to the minimum numbers required.
The apprehensions of not able to maintain quorum was quite visible today as the Chair was very much particular with the presence of members in the House as whosoever was acting as Presiding Officer - Speaker or Deputy Speaker, they were pretty much concerned with the mandatory figure of 23.
It was rather a peculiar situation as the presence of members went on swelling and decreasing with every tick of the clock.
The shortfall in numbers could be gauged from the fact that while initiating the debate on the Demands of Grants for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, legislator M Y Tarigami said, "I had to leave but what to do when there is compulsion to be present in the House."
Responding to Tarigami's remarks, Deputy Speaker Sartaj Madni, who was in the Chair, said," It is not compulsion but the issue of maintaining quorum."
In the event of the less strength of the present legislators, the members adopted a unique way to maintain the quorum as when one of them goes out, another one immediately joins the proceedings.
In the meantime, when Ministers Manohar Lal Sharma and Nazir Gurezi left their seats and moved towards the door to make exit, the Deputy Speaker signaled them to occupy their benches as the House lacks quorum.
On the Chair's instruction, Manohar Lal came back to rejoin the House within a few seconds, however, Gurezi didn't turn up.
Meanwhile, making exits and coming in of the members one by one went on as the House proceedings progressed.
However, a moment came when the House was finally short of quorum and the Chair had to ask MLA Jagdish Raj Sapolia to stop speaking while taking part in the discussion on Demands of Grants of Law Department, however, the Presiding Officer did not adjourn the House and hold the proceedings for a while.
The Watch and Ward Staff immediately swung into action and ran outside to find out a member to complete the quorum.
The proceedings were resumed after one and a half minute as Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Itoo joined the House and the quorum was maintained.
Meanwhile, the second sitting of the day was again marred with the lack of quorum as when the afternoon proceedings began there were only about 18 to 19 members present in the House.
The House could begin its proceedings after 17 minutes of delay from the scheduled start. |
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