Srinagar, Sep 25 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday moved a resolution in the assembly to seek urgent restoration of full statehood to the union territory, leading to ugly scenes in the House and even fist fights.
Members of the opposition BJP stormed the well of the House in protest, and angry words broke out between them and legislators of the ruling National Conference. Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather adjourned the house for 30 minutes when his pleas asking the MLAs to go back to their seats went unheeded.
BJP’s Vikram Randhawa was marshalled out after he created a ruckus.
BJP MLAs protested against the resolution, which has a reference to the autonomy resolution moved by National Conference (NC) government in June 2000 when Jammu and Kashmir was a state.
It reads: “In addition to the resolutions passed by this House on 26 June 2000 and 6 November 2024, the House calls upon the Government of India for the immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and resolves that this resolution be forwarded to the Government of India.”
The NC-led government headed by Farooq Abdullah had passed a resolution on June 26, 2000 for restoration of greater autonomy as existed before August 9, 1953.
On November 6, 2024, the house passed a resolution seeking the restoration of special status.
As soon as the chief minister tabled the resolution in the house, the treasury benches welcomed it with thumping of desks. However, the reference to the 2000 resolution triggered protests from BJP members.
“We will not allow discussion on the issue of autonomy in the house,” BJP MLA R S Pathania said. BJP MLAs alleged that rules were flouted as the chief minister read the resolution even before tabling it in the house and tore copies of the resolution.
Several MLAs got into heated arguments with each other as the pandemonium continued in the house.
(PTI News)
