Kashmir leaders keep Opposition voice alive in J&K assembly amid BJP’s absence

As the stormy five-day session of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly session ended on Friday, the first session saw a group of young assembly members from Kashmir assert their presence.
Members from the largely Jammu-based Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the House were marshalled out on Friday, leaving the onus of seeking answers from the treasury benches to the Kashmir-based members not part of the government.
With support from more than 46 MLAs (Independents and the National Conference (NC)) and six Congress legislators, the Omar Abdullah-led government has a comfortable tally, but the first session saw six legislators — Sajjad Lone of the People’s Conference, Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad of the Awami Ittehad Party, three Peoples Democratic Party members led by Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra and Shopian independent Shabir Kulley — drew sharp responses from NC’s first time legislators, especially when they sought answers from the government on the passage of a so-called “weak” resolution seeking the restoration of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir.
The six legislators demanded amendments to reclaim what they said was “snatched” from Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019.
Not only the treasury benches, the group of six legislators also took on the 28-member strong BJP, with the likes of Khursheed Ahmad, brother of Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, Parra and Lone being met with heckling.
“The six legislators troubled the NC, with party legislator Tanvir Sadiq also making a personnel attack on Lone. This shows that Lone, along with PDP legislators and independent assembly members, could keep the NC government on the ropes not only inside the House but outside as well. The young legislators seem to have filled the space left vacant by the BJP after its legislators walked out from the assembly on the third day,” Khursheed Ahmad, who was watching proceedings from the gallery, said.
Parra, PDP’s youth face, meanwhile, said he voted for NC’s resolution not out of agreement but to avoid empowering the BJP’s agenda to “subjugate” them.
“But make no mistake, this resolution is no victory! It’s a surrender dressed as celebration, a betrayal of Jammu and Kashmir’s spirit. The people’s hopes from the assembly were immense, yet on the crucial task of defending Article 370 and 35A, we have failed to stand with our people. History will judge us, and it will not be kind,” he said, adding that the NC refused to accommodate PDP’s MLAs and remind Prime Minister Narendra Modi on acceptance and tolerance.
Shopian legislator Kulley, the only independent who did not extend support to the NC, said he was focussed on being a responsible Opposition member. “Though I supported the NC resolution on special status, the resolution was very weak and we tried to introduce our own amendments which were never allowed,” he added.
The Opposition members’ fiery approach drew sharp reaction from NC leaders, with a member questioning the “friendship” between Lone and Khursheed Ahmand, both of whom are seen as tough opponents for the party in Kupwara. “We contested elections against each other but that does not stop us from raising genuine voices of people in the House,” Lone, who was elected to House for the second time, had said in response.
The CM too in his address acknowledged the need for a strong Opposition, saying, “They should debate and seek answers from us.”
NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq echoed the sentiment, saying the beauty of an August house like the assembly lies in the presence of both treasury and Opposition benches.
“Without a strong opposition, it undermines the legitimacy of the proceedings. Other opposition members were present and had every right to voice their opinions and be heard. The House ran smoothly on the final day, with almost every party participating in the discussions,” he added.