LA plunges into chaos for 2nd day with no business transacted over Waqf bill

You can’t undo what Parl has done: Speaker to MLAs*Sajjad takes ‘Tulip Garden’ jibe, NC retaliatesSanjeev PargalJAMMU, Apr 8: The Legislative Assembly plunged into pandemonium for second consecutive day today with no business transacted as ruling National Conference and its allies besides the Opposition—PDP, People’s Conference and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) going ahead with protests seeking discussion on Waqf bill passed by the Parliament, a demand Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rejected once again.Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsAppRather first adjourned the House at 10.20 AM for half an hour.

The House resumed proceedings at 11.13 AM but as the din persisted, he adjourned the House at 11.22 AM till 1 PM.



The Assembly met at 1.06 PM and the Speaker finally adjourned the House till tomorrow at 1.25 PM.

Click here to watch videoAfter adjourning the House twice amid protests, sloganeering, shouting, heated exchanges and papers flying, the Speaker finally adjourned the House till tomorrow with no business including the Question Hour, Call Attention Notices and Private Member’s bills taken up.Pandemonium erupted as soon as the House proceedings began at 10 AM with NC, Congress and allies who had moved fresh adjournment motions today for discussion on Waqf bill started protests from their seats before moving close to the Well as some of them stood on benches.The BJP MLAs remained seated silently.

However, Sajjad Lone of People’s Conference, three PDP MLAs including Fayyaz Mir, Waheed ur Rehman Parra and Rafiq Naik while supporting discussion on Waqf bill also countered the NC MLAs.Sajjad took ‘Tulip Garden’ jibe on the NC MLAs saying Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister Kirren Rijiju who introduced Waqf bill in Parliament, were taking photographs together at the Tulip Garden in Srinagar while NC MLAs here are protesting against the bill.NC MLA Salman Sagar was heard countering Sajjad saying he was with the BJP earlier.

Fayyaz Mir too had strong arguments with Sagar and other NC MLAs but nothing was audible in the din amid slogan shouting and sometimes hooting too.Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather said: “You can’t undo what the Parliament has done. I have already disallowed the discussion’’.

While the BJP members welcomed fresh ruling by the Speaker with thumping of desks, NC MLA and former Deputy Speaker Nazir Gurezi said the court hasn’t taken cognizance of the petition so far and no notice has been issued, therefore, the issue is not sub-judice as maintained by the Speaker. He said the Speaker should allow the discussion but Rather maintained that his decision is final. “I stand by what I said that the matter is sub judice,’’ he added.

Amid slogan shouting, the Speaker adjourned the House at 10.20 AM for half an hour.As the House resumed, three Ministers also joined the issue endorsing demand of the agitated NC and Congress MLAs for a discussion on Waqf bill after Speaker quoted Sub Rule 9 of Section 58 in the Assembly saying the motion shall not relate to a matter which is not primarily the concern of Government.

If it is not concern of this Government, the motion can’t be taken up, Rather said while rejecting for second consecutive day the adjournment motions moved by the Alliance MLAs seeking suspension of the business and discussion on Waqf bill.Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo and Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Javed Dar said the issue concerns the Government.“This Government is chosen by the people.

Members have been elected by the people. If it is the concern of the members, it is the concern of the Government too. We cannot say it is not the concern of the Government,” Choudhary said amid uproar in the House.

Choudhary said they are with the people. The BJP MLAs were seen shouting at the Deputy Chief Minister but their voice was lost in the din.Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Javed Dar, addressing the Speaker, too said the issue concerns the House and the members and the Chair can allow discussion.

“You are custodian of the House. You can take a call on the Members demand,’’ Dar said.Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo also said it is the concern of the Government.

As the Assembly met again at 1.06 PM after second adjournment, BJP MLA and former Minister Sham Lal Sharma said the Speaker has given his ruling and there is no scope of discussion (on Waqf bill).“You (the Speaker) can’t revisit the decision.

The Members should allow the House to function. The Assembly has to run as per the Rule book. If they (the Alliance MLAs) have no faith on the Chair, let them bring no-confidence motion against the chair,’’ Sham said.

Nazir Gurezi (NC) countered saying the BJP MLAs can’t dictate the Chair who has to go by his discretion.The Speaker reiterated that he gave his ruling yesterday and repeated it today. He said Gurezi had been the Presiding Officer and he should tell the Rules under which he can allow a discussion.

Former Law Minister and NC MLA Saifullah Mir said the issue is not sub judice as the court hasn’t taken cognizance, no notice has been issued and no verdict is delivered.On Congress MLA, Nizam-ud-Din Bhat’s assertion that the Speaker can use his discretion, Rather remarked: “the discretion can be used where rules are not clear. Where rules are clear, there is no discretion’’.

The Speaker’s rulings were repeatedly cheered by the BJP MLAs with thumping of desks.At this, Sajjad Lone suggested the Speaker to retire for five minutes and allow Mubarak Gul to take the seat to facilitate discussion.As NC MLAs kept on shouting ‘We want discussion’, ‘Take back Waqf Bill’’, ‘Kala Kanoon Waapis Lo’, the BJP MLAs countered with ‘No Scope, No Scope’.

Members of the NC, Congress, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Independents several times trooped near the Well of the House, raising slogans and demanding the withdrawal of what they called the “black law”.PDP member Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra stormed into the Well of the House in the morning demanding the immediate passage of the resolution moved by his party. As Parra, carrying a copy of the resolution in his hand, pressed for its passage, NC leader Abdul Majid Larmi accused him of being an agent, sparking a heated verbal exchange between NC members and other opposition legislators, including Sheikh Khursheed.

When Parra attempted to enter the well of the House, the Speaker directed the marshals to evict him. Sajad Gani Lone of the People’s Conference attempted to prevent him from getting evicted.“We want the resolution to be passed.

This is a Muslim-majority state,” Sajjad Lone said.He accused the NC of theatrics and added, “It is ironic that NC legislators are protesting against an NC Speaker just to fool the people.”Amid noisy scenes, NC members Nazir Gurezi, Salman Sagar and Tanvir Sadiq urged the Speaker to consider the sentiments of the members as they pertained to a religious matter and allow the discussion.

“We want to discuss the issue. It is our religious matter. This is a Muslim-majority state.

Please allow the discussion,” Gurezi said.NC member Mubarak Gul too urged the Speaker to allow a discussion on this important issue, saying that it involved religious sentiments.“We seek debate.

Let every member across the House speak on it. It is a sensitive issue. It is a religious issue.

Some have protested in several places across the country. These are concerns for all of us,” Gul said in the house.Seeking a debate on the matter, he said it would be good to allow members to speak on it.

The BJP raised slogans like “Gundagardi Nahi Chalegi”, “No scope for discussion” and “Dramabazi Bandh Karo”, which were countered by the NC members for a few minutes.Meanwhile, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, in a chat with media persons, said he had decided to disallow the adjournment motion in line with the rules and will not change his ruling.He advised the protesting members of the ruling National Conference-led alliance and opposition PDP and Peoples Conference besides some independents to allow the smooth functioning of the House in the larger interest of the public.

On Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and other ministers joining the protesting members in pressing for a discussion on the Act, he said it does not matter to him who was raising the demand.“Whether it is the Government, minister, opposition members or somebody else, I have to weigh the statement as per the rules to take a call. If the rules do not allow it, it hardly matters to me who is making the statement.

I have made a decision after going through the rules and I will not change my decision,” Rather said.“If they are not allowing the House to work, it is their own loss and the loss of the public because the last three days (of the budget session) were meant for private members resolution and bills and eight each calling attention motions (Monday and Tuesday) besides 40 to 50 questions of public importance,” he said.The Speaker said the legislators should work for the purpose for which they have been sent to the Assembly by the people.

“People have high hopes from us and we should try to fulfill their aspirations. After my ruling (Monday), they should have accepted it. I am there because of their confidence and if they are not accepting (my ruling), it is their loss and the loss of the public,” he said.

The Speaker said some members on Tuesday said that the Supreme Court is yet to serve the notices in the Waqf issue and hence the House can discuss the issue and pass a resolution.However, he said Rule 58 (ix) clearly states that the Assembly has no domain over legislation passed in Parliament. “The law can be revoked only by Parliament or the judiciary.

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