‘Will run parallel J&K govt if…’: BJP warns Speaker, Congress-NC govt after MLAs ‘manhandled’ in assembly

The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma threatened to run a “parallel” government in the Union Territory in protest against the Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim. “We held a parallel assembly…the Speaker had our MLAs marshalled out. We raised the issues of our areas and the media covered it,” he said.

He warned to not take this “parallel” assembly lightly. “If your [J&K Assembly Speaker/ government] behaviour challenges Indian integrity and sovereignty, we will run a parallel government and this is my warning to them,” LoP Sunil Sharma said.

He also posted a video of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders holding a “parallel assembly”. He wrote. “Today is a black chapter in the history of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. We, all BJP MLAs, will ensure that no anti-India conspiracy succeeds. The National Conference should not think that they can suppress our voice by forcibly evicting us from the Assembly.”

Massive row in J&K Assembly

Sunil Sharma’s comments came after a massive row erupted in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Friday over a resolution defending Article 370. 

Sharma said the Speaker himself drafted this resolution, and demanded the J&K government to take back the “unconstitutional” resolution.

The opposition leader alleged that the BJP MLAs were “manhandled” by marshals on the direction of the Speaker. “We wanted a debate on it but the MLAs were marshalled out…so we are holding a parallel assembly here,” he said.

The ruckus ensued in Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Friday, the third day in a row, after the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MLA from Kupwara exhibited a banner in support of the restoration of Article 370 in the Union Territory.

BJP MLAs raised slogans and clashed with fellow members, including Engineer Rashid’s brother and Awami Ittehad Party MLA Sheikh Khursheed over a banner he was carrying. BJP MLAs were seen entering the well of the House. They, along with Sheikh, were marshalled out of the House on the orders of Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather.

A day earlier, on November 7, MLA Sheikh Khurshid displayed a banner on Article 370, the provision granting special status to the erstwhile state abolished in August 2019.

A resolution opposing the revocation of Article 370 and supporting the restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was passed in the first session of the newly elected assembly in the Union Territory by a voice vote, news agency ANI reported.

The first session of the newly elected assembly in Jammu Kashmir kick-started on November 4 with the introduction of the resolution.

‘Darkest day in the democracy’

Reacting to the ruckus, J-K LoP Sunil Sharma termed it as the “darkest day in the democracy.” He accused Assembly Speaker of behaving as the “Speaker of National Conference,” instead of the House.

BJP leader Sunil Sharma said Article 370 was removed by the highest temple of democracy in the country and it was settled by the Supreme Court. 

“Article 370 is now history. They are comparing the Article 370 with a word like special status which does not even exist in the Constitution,” he said.

“I challenge [chief minister] Omar Abdullah that if the word special status with regard to Jammu and Kashmir is found anywhere in the Constitution, I will retire from politics,” he said.

On August 5, 2019, the Centre abrogated the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which had conferred special rights on Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the erstwhile state into Union territories.