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Opposition stages walkout in LA

Shuchismita. Dated: 2/17/2014 12:21:13 AM

BJP, JKNPP, JSM plead daily wagers’ cause

JAMMU, Feb 16: Amid uproar and sloganeering, the main opposition party Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Jammu based entire opposition comprising BJP, JKNPP and JSM legislators staged walkout during Question Hour though separately and on different issues.
PDP MLAs staged walkout after vociferously protesting against use of pellet guns by the forces to quell protesting youth in Shopian on Saturday resulting in injury to few youth.
PDP legislators, many of whom trooped into the well also, were demanding complete ban on the use of lethal weapons and shifting of injured youth outside the state for advanced treatment. Independent MLA from Langate Abdul Rashid Engineer also joined the cause with PDP MLAs on this issue. He too had stormed into the well shouting to register his protest.
On the other hand, the legislators of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) and Jammu State Morcha (JSM) standing in the front row and in front of assembly reporters’ table jointly agitated pleading the cause of daily wagers and amid sloganeering accusing the coalition government of giving fake assurances to them vis-à-vis their (daily wagers’) regularization staged a walkout trying to troop into the well. They were also protesting against power crisis in Jammu region particularly in far off areas.
The ruckus started as soon as the House assembled for day’s proceedings, after a gap of two days, this morning with all the opposition members, some even carrying placards up on their feet, shouting trying to raise their respective issues amid slogans. While PDP legislators led by their party president Mehbooba Mufti, wanted to draw attention of the government towards condition of those youth who received injuries in use of pellet guns in Shopian area, BJP, JKNPP and JSM MLAs were agitating over the issue of daily wagers. But the Speaker did not allow anyone to speak stating that he won’t allow them to disrupt Question and they would be given time after the Question Hour.
Amid the din, raising the issue, Mehbooba said that state government was using pellet guns and pepper guns against civilian protestors as a policy which had cost many youth their vision and rendered many more disabled in other ways. Mehbooba said the use of these weapons at protests had caused loss and impairment of vision to scores of in the Kashmir Valley and people had to pay heavily for medical treatment.
“These poor families have to take their children, who have become victims of pellet guns and pepper guns used by the security forces, to Amritsar and other places outside the state for treatment,” she said adding that these children belonged to poor families who could not afford costly treatment. She demanded an immediate stop to the use of such weapons against civilian protestors. She also demanded financial assistance from the state government to the victims. PDP members were demanding answer from government but to no avail.
In the meanwhile, many PDP members trooped into the well and got engaged in a scuffle with the marshals and Watch and Ward staff who in chain formation succeeded in prevented them to move forward towards the Speaker’s chair or disrupt assembly reporters. This continued for 10 minutes and in the meanwhile some members also raked up the issue of, what they said, “discrimination in the sanctioning of Medical Colleges and Cancer Institutes in J&K, the announcement of which was made by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad.”
On the question of Medical Colleges, the Speaker Legislative Assembly Mubarak Gul kept on saying that the issue pertained to the Centre and not the state government. Amid this ruckus, the Question Hour too had started.
After vociferously agitating for the daily wagers raising slogans “Daily Wagers Ko Insaaf Do”, BJP, JKNPP and JSM members stages a walkout at 10.15 AM. They were also protesting against the dismal performance of Power Development Department (PDD) unable to address people’s power related woes.
In the meanwhile, agitating PDP members kept on insisting to raise this issue amid anti-government slogans.
Mehbooba wanted to speak on this issue and reply from the government but the Speaker did not allow. PDP MLA Abdul Rehman Veeri entered into a brief verbal duel with the Speaker on this issue stating that in Business Advisory Committee meeting it was decided that the Leader of Opposition would be allowed to speak and the government would reply. “Now why you’re not allowing her to speak and why no reply is being given,” he asked the Speaker.
Gul retorted, “Why she did not speak on Governor’s Address. You cannot dictate me terms. I had allowed her and others to speak previously during Question Hour twice but I won’t allow again and again.”
This, further, infuriated PDP members and they started raising slogans “Coalition Sarkar Hai-Hai, “Pellet Gun Sarkar Hai-Hai”, “Qatil Sarkar Hai-Hai.” Amid slogans, at 10.24 AM, PDP members also staged a walkout, while Engineer standing in the well kept on shouting.
Following enmasse walkout of Jammu based opposition, JKNPP MLA Balwant Singh with reference to his question regarding HT/LT network, expressed concern over
JKNPP MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia, while raising the issue of power crisis, stated that the state government had been giving fake assurances to daily wagers since its inception. He kept on shouting. He was also joined by his senior party colleague MLA Harsh Dev Singh who said that in case of RGGVY, bungling took place in electrification in Udhampur district where Rs 50 Cr contract was given to a private company which installed 250 transformers out of which 120 (50 percent) were damaged and the people were told that they were irreparable. MLA Langate Abdul Rashid Engineer, PDF MLA Hakeem Yaseen and Congress MLA Mohammed Sharief Niaz, quoring cases of their specific constituencies, also joined the cause.
They pacified only when the Minister of State for Power Vikar Rasool assured to look into their specific cases and replace the transformers and stated that under RGGVY phase-II, this would be the responsibility of PDD to install transformers.
Later, speaking to media, Mehbooba said use of pellet guns was inhuman and cruel and its use should be banned immediately. She said that while two youth Tariq and Ghulam Mohiuddin had their eyesight seriously affected, other two youth Mohammed Ashraf, Umer Nabi too suffered grievous injuries. According to their families, Mehbooba said, the doctors had told them that their treatment was not possible in the state and the nearest centre for such medical facility was Amritsar.
“It is the moral responsibility of the government to foot their medical bill and provide them the best treatment wherever it was available,” she said. She said that hundreds of youth were injured by the use of this weapons which were projected as non lethal. She said that scores of youth lost their sight but they could not approach hospitals due to the fear of arrest and registration of cases against them. That she said was a sad commentary on the relationship this government established with the youth.
PDP president said that coalition government turned the state into a testing field for new instruments of repression and pellet gun was the worst of them.
“It has rendered scores permanently disabled and dozens have lost their vision. The government is engaging youth only through brute force and has never tried to reach out to them to understand their frustration with the system. It is a cruel irony that this government is projecting introduction of pellet guns and chilly grenades as some kind of a mercy by sparing their life and taking away their vision,” she said.