news details |
|
|
| Lone plays smart with speaker gets 'extended time' | | Also intervenes during calling attention notice of members | | Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Oct 7: Former Speaker of legislative assembly and present Minister for Higher Education, Mohammad Akbar Lone today influenced his successor and present speaker, Mubarak Gul and ensured that the extension of time in pre-lunch session of Monday's proceedings is reduced to 15 minutes and not 30 minutes.
As the house was holding discussion on various bills tabled in the pre-lunch session the speaker at 1:30 PM said that the house would be extended by 30 more minutes since many bills along with other business was taken up. He said if the house is suspended for lunch at 1:30 PM it would mean that many of the bills cannot be taken up for consideration and subsequently they cannot be discussed or withdrawn by the members.
On this the Rural Development Minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar asked the speaker to reconsider his decision since the afternoon prayers are usually offered at 1:30 PM. MLA Chadoora, Javed Mustafa Mir countered Sagar and said that prayers can be offered later on adding that the business of house is equally important.
Putting across his point to the Minister for Rural Development the speaker said that since many items were put up for business in the house there is no harm in extending the time upto 2 PM. He told Sagar that offering of prayers can be done after 2 PM since there would be one hour break as the house was scheduled to meet at 3 PM to discuss the revelations made by former army chief, General (Retd) V K Singh. Sagar agreed to the proposal of speaker and as such the house carried on with the business.
Hardly five minutes into the extension time the Higher Education Minister stood up and intervened while a bill was being discussed. Lone told the speaker that he cannot extend the time without taking the whole house into confidence. On this the speaker replied that he has already intimated the members about the extension of time and they too have agreed to it.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislators supported the speaker and asked him not to suspend the house for lunch break before 2 PM. However, as the whole discussion about the extension of time was going on the speaker while listening to the 'advice' of his predecessor said that the house would suspend for lunch break once the bill tabled by independent legislator, Engineer Abdul Rashid is discussed. Engineer Rashid's bill was tabled next on the agenda of the business of the house for the pre-lunch session.
It took hardly five minutes for the independent legislator to table the bill followed by a statement from law minister, Mir Saifullah. As soon as the bill was defeated the speaker adjourned the house for lunch break with the clock showing 1:45 PM. The reduction in extended time came as a surprise for PDP legislators and they raised hue and cry over this development.
Earlier, Lone interrupted the speaker while he was allowing the members to raise supplementary issue during the call attention notice. He said there is no rule to allow the members to speak once the minister has given his reply to the calling attention notice. Lone said that speaker has been quite flexible in the conduct of business in the house. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
