Jammu & Kashmir: At least 15 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members, including Langate MLA Sheikh Khurshid, were on Friday marshalled out of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly as they attempted to protest in the well of the House. 

Soon after the speaker evicted the leaders, 11 other BJP MLAs walked out of the House in protest.

The House has been witnessing uproar for the last two days as BJP MLAs have been protesting vociferously after the resolution to restore the special status passed by an overwhelming vote on Wednesday, November 6. 

‘Remove them away…’

The BJP members had jumped into the well, grabbed the papers, and tore them into pieces, causing the speaker to marshall them out. 

“Remove them away…,” J&K Assembly‘s newly elected speaker Abdul Rahim Rather could be heard repeating, ordering for the BJP leaders to be rushed out, according to the visuals released by ANI. 

When the House met for the day in the morning, the BJP MLAs raised slogans like ‘Pakistani agenda nahi chalega.’ Amid the chaos, the speaker adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes. 

Following the adjournment, the MLAs continued to protest, even after Rahim Rather requested them to take their seats.

J&K Assembly ruckus: The story behind

After the resolution seeking the restoration of the erstwhile state’s constitutional special status was passed on Wednesday, the Assembly urged the Centre to begin discussions with elected representatives from the region to restore Jammu and Kashmir‘s special status and constitutional guarantees and establish the necessary constitutional mechanisms for this purpose.

“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,” PTI quoted Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary as saying.

J&K Assembly

Today’s episode marks the third day that the Assembly has witnessed chaos and bedlam, paralysing the proceedings. 

On November 7, the Assembly erupted into chaos after Engineer Rashid’s brother and MLA Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh displayed a banner on Article 370, the provision granting special status to the erstwhile state abolished in August 2019.

Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah said on November 4 that the resolution moved in the assembly seeking restoration of Article 370 was introduced just ‘for the cameras’ and carries no real significance.

Abdullah said if there was a genuine intention behind the resolution, it should have been discussed with the National Conference, the ruling party in the Union Territory.

“We knew that preparation for this was being made by a member. The reality is that the people of Jammu and Kashmir do not approve of the decision taken on August 5, 2019. If they had approved, then the results today would have been different. How the House will reflect and discuss this will not be decided by any one member,” Abdullah said, addressing the House soon after the newly-elected Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was marred by ruckus on the first day after opposition MLA Wahid Parra of the People’s Democratic Party moved a resolution against the scrapping of Article 370.

“The resolution brought today has no importance, but it is only for the cameras. If there was a purpose behind it, then they would have discussed this with us before,” Abdullah said.

The erstwhile state lost special status and was bifurcated into two union territories after the Narendra Modi-led Union government abrogated Article 370 in August 2019.

Waheed Parra’s Resolution

Soon after Parra, 36, started reading the resolution, BJP lawmakers in the Assembly registered opposition. The speaker adjourned the house amid calls to meet again for L-G Manoj Sinha’s address.

Jammu and KashmirJammu and Kashmir through the J&K reorganisation Act, 2019 and calls for its complete rescinding,” reads the resolution,” read the resolution.

“House further resolves to strive for the restoration of special status and all constitutional guarantees granted to Jammu and Kashmir in their original prisitine form,” it read.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti lauded the PDP leader for introducing the resolution in the assembly.

“Proud of Waheed Parra for introducing resolution in JK Assembly opposing the revocation of Article 370 and resolve to restore the special status God bless you,” the former chief minister wrote in a post on X.

The restoration of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood as well as implementation of the autonomy resolution was one of the main promises made by the National conference in its manifesto for the Jammu-Kashmir elections.

The resolution brought today has no importance but it is only for the cameras.

The Congress-National Conference alliance won 49 seats in the 90-member assembly, while the BJP won 29 seats. The Assembly election was held after a gap of 10 years and since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Abdullah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on September 16.

The members of a foreign delegation who are here on Wednesday to observe the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir expressed satisfaction over the conduct of polls. Some of them said the process looks comparable to how it happens in their own countries,

Jammu and Kashmir is voting in the second phase of assembly elections in which 26 seats in six districts are going to polls. The Ministry of External Affairs has invited a delegation of diplomats from 16 countries, including the US, Norway and Singapore, to observe the exercise.

The voting process looked healthy and democratic, said US deputy Chief of the Mission in Delhi Jorgan K Andrews said

“It is great to see the enthusiasm; it’s great to see Kashmiris out voting after a pause for 10 years. We are very excited to see the results. It looks very healthy and very democratic,” Andrews told news agency PTI at a polling station here. He said the process here was similar to how it happens in his country.

Phase 2 voting underway

Voting is underway in 26 seats across six districts of Jammu and Kashmir in the second phase of assembly elections today, September 25. The second phase covers 15 seats in Kashmir Valley and 11 seats in the Jammu division of the Union Territory (UT).

Voting commenced from 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.

“It is very comparable. In my country, we use schools as well for voting. So it looks very similar,” Andrews added

South Korea diplomat Sang Woo Lim liked the idea of Pink polling station, an initiative of the Election Commission of India where polling stations are managed by all-female staff.

“It is my first time here in Kashmir. I am happy to be here as a part of the MEA delegation. I see it is a beautiful place and people are very nice. It is special to witness how democracy works. This idea of a pink polling station is very ingenuous. It is a great way to attract more people to come to vote,” Lim was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Singapore deputy head of the mission in Delhi Cheng Wei Wei Alice said it was wonderful to be part of the delegation observing the polls here.

Process Similar to Singapore

“I am glad that all the voters showed up. That’s wonderful to see. The process is very similar to how we conduct elections in Singapore. We use government buildings for polling stations so that it is easily accessible to voters,” she said.

Alice said the delegates were “very thankful to the MEA for organising this trip and allowing us to visit the polling stations”.

It looks very healthy and very democratic.

Jammu and KashmirArticle 370 in the erstwhile state in August 2019.