BJP MLAs hold ‘dummy Assembly’ after ruckus

Srinagar, Nov 8: In a dramatic protest against the resolution passed for the restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, BJP legislators staged a “dummy Assembly session” on the lawns of the J&K Assembly complex on Friday.

The BJP legislators made the move after most of the party’s MLAs were either marshalled out of the Assembly or walked out in protest over what they alleged was “Speaker’s bias”.

The situation erupted during a session discussing the resolution, which called for reviewing Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.

The BJP legislators objected vociferously, demanding the resolution be withdrawn and calling the Speaker’s actions “hooliganism”.

Following their expulsion, BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma stepped in as a symbolic “Speaker” for a “parallel dummy session” held on the J&K Assembly’s lawns, where the BJP MLAs continued their “debates”.

In the “mock session”, BJP legislators voiced their disapproval of the resolution.

"This is not about disruption; it is about defending our national integrity,” Sharma said presiding over as the “dummy Speaker”.

Other BJP leaders condemned Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, with MLA Pawan Gupta expressing dismay.

“We had high expectations of the Speaker due to his experience, but his actions today were unfortunate. This is hooliganism in the garb of legislative authority,” he said.

The BJP MLAs insisted that their “peaceful protests” were met with “disproportionate force”, accusing the Legislative Assembly’s leadership of “curtailing” democratic expression.

“People in Kashmir are witnessing peace and stability after the abrogation of Article 370. Any attempt to question that stability, as this resolution does, is an affront to the aspirations of the people,” Gupta said, referencing the “positive impacts” the BJP claims had come with the change in special status.

The protest took a more serious tone as BJP MLA R S Pathania warned that the legislators would consider forming a “parallel government” if the Speaker continued actions they deemed hostile to the nation’s sovereignty.

“This is the real assembly. If the Speaker continues challenging the sovereignty of the country, we will discuss public issues here,” Pathania said.

Several BJP legislators spoke out against what they saw as “separatist” influences within the assembly.

Chander Prakash Ganga, another BJP MLA, expressed frustration over some legislators bringing posters and banners calling for the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35-A into the house, claiming it was akin to separatist tactics.

“Legislators who bring divisive symbols and slogans into this house are not serving the people of Jammu and Kashmir but advancing an agenda that goes against the national interests,” he said.

The BJP has called for a review of the Speaker’s conduct, alleging that his actions jeopardise the impartiality expected of his office.

BJP leaders said that Rather’s handling of the debate demonstrated an “undue bias against BJP’s position on Jammu and Kashmir’s status”.

The BJP members warned that if the Speaker continues on what they call a “divisive path”, they would intensify their protests both inside and outside the J&K Assembly.