J&K Assembly Sees Third Day Of Chaos On Article 370; BJP MLAs Hold Parallel Session In Protest

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed chaos for the third consecutive day over a contentious resolution seeking to reinstate demanding restoration of special status to Jammu and Kashmir. 

BJP members protested loudly, raising slogans like 'Pakistani agenda nahi chalega', leading the speaker to marshal out 12 opposition MLAs and Langate legislator Sheikh Khurshid.

Soon after their eviction, 11 other BJP MLAs walked out of the House in protest.

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The House has been in chaos for the past two days as BJP MLAs protested vehemently following the passage of the resolution. 

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary had moved the resolution on Tuesday that said: "This Legislative Assembly reaffirms the importance of the special status and constitutional guarantees, which safeguarded the identity, culture and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and expresses concern over their unilateral removal."

It said the Assembly calls upon the Centre to initiate talks with elected representatives from the region for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and constitutional guarantees, and to work out constitutional mechanisms for the same.

"This Assembly emphasises that any process for restoration must safeguard both national unity and the legitimate aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir," it added. Notably, there was no mention of Article 370 or 35A.

In response, PDP, People's Conference, and AIP MLAs joined forces to submit a fresh resolution denouncing the 2019 abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A. Led by PDP MLAs Waheed Para and Fayaz Mir, and People's Conference MLA Sajad Lone, this resolution labels the abrogation as "unconstitutional" and a "breach of foundational guarantees" originally extended to Jammu and Kashmir.

BJP MLAs Hold 'Parallel Assembly'

Meanwhile, BJP MLAs held a parallel assembly on the lawns of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after being marshalled out. They protested the resolution on special status and demanded its rollback.

BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma assumed the role of Speaker, seated in a chair, while fellow party members delivered speeches as if in a real assembly session.

Watch the video here:

Pavan Gupta, a BJP MLA, condemned the actions within the House, stating, "The way our honourable members were marshalled out is nothing short of hooliganism. We had high hopes from the Speaker, given his experience, but the treatment we received was unfortunate."

He added that the people are happy in Kashmir because of the peaceful situation that arose after the scrapping of Article 370.