Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 6: The second phase of the ongoing budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, resuming on Monday after a 12-day recess, is poised to be contentious. Legislators from both the ruling coalition and the opposition are gearing up to introduce a slew of resolutions during the brief session, setting the stage for heated debates.
Members of the ruling coalition are contemplating a resolution to condemn the recent decision by the Lieutenant Governor to transfer 48 Jammu and Kashmir Administration Services (JKAS) officers, a move they view as an attempt to undermine the authority of the elected government. Sources indicate that the coalition MLAs will finalize their strategy following internal consultations.
Meanwhile, opposition MLAs, particularly from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), are set to press the government to adopt resolutions calling for the restoration of statehood and the reinstatement of July 13 as a public holiday, commemorating Martyrs’ Day. The PDP has already taken a proactive step, with legislator Waheed Ur Rehman Para submitting a letter to Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather. Representing Pulwama and one of only three PDP MLAs in the Assembly, Para has demanded that his resolution to designate July 13 as Martyrs’ Day be reinstated, while criticizing what he calls procedural irregularities in the session’s legislative process.
Para’s letter highlights the historical significance of July 13, 1931, when 22 protesters were killed by Dogra monarchy forces outside Srinagar Central Jail, an event he describes as a pivotal moment in Jammu and Kashmir’s political history. He expressed frustration over the exclusion of his resolution from the March 26 bulletin, noting that the Martyrs’ Day holiday—scrapped after the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and the state’s bifurcation into Union Territories—deserves recognition to honor the region’s democratic struggle. “The shift from monarchy to democracy in Jammu and Kashmir came at a price, paid first by the martyrs of July 13, 1931,” Para wrote. “Procedural rules cannot be weaponized to s Members of the ruling coalition are contemplating a resolution to condemn the recent decision by the LG to transfer 48 JKAS officers.
Opposition MLAs, particularly from PDP, are set to press the government to adopt statehood, July 13 resolutions.
The final phase of the session, spanning April 7 to April 9, will see 14 private members’ resolutions tabled.
This budget session, the first since the abrogation of Article 370, marked the return of elected representation to J&K after a six-year gap.
The final phase of the session, spanning April 7 to April 9, will see 14 private members’ resolutions tabled, including three focused on restoring statehood. Para questioned why multiple statehood resolutions were included while his Martyrs’ Day proposal was sidelined, despite what he claims is widespread support among legislators. Citing the Rules of Procedure, he argued that resolutions raising “substantially the same question” within a year of a prior one—such as the statehood resolution passed in November 2024 alongside a special status motion—should be inadmissible until November 2025. That earlier resolution urged the Centre to devise a constitutional mechanism to restore J&K’s special status, though it avoided explicitly demanding the reinstatement of Articles 370 and 35A.
Para accused the Assembly Secretariat of prioritizing redundant resolutions, such as one on healthcare, over more pressing issues, suggesting this could be a deliberate tactic to shift focus away from Article 370 and 35A. “Could this be a conscious attempt to shift the goalpost, divert the discourse, and establish a concerning precedent?” he asked. He also challenged the balloting process for selecting resolutions, arguing that it should only apply when admissible proposals exceed available slots, and that including ineligible or repetitive resolutions may have skewed the outcome to exclude significant matters like his own.
Appealing to the Speaker’s discretionary authority, Para cited the November 2024 admission of the special status resolution—despite its absence from the formal agenda—as a precedent. He urged a similar intervention now, calling for “a reaffirmation of democratic principles over technicalities.”
This budget session, the first since the abrogation of Article 370, marks the return of elected representation to Jammu and Kashmir after a six-year gap. Beginning on March 3, it comprises 21 sittings, with the final leg promising a stormy conclusion as competing resolutions fuel tensions between the ruling coalition and the opposition. |
