NC stages walkout from Assembly over security situation in Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar: Opposition National Conference MLAs on Tuesday staged a walkout from the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly over the recent incidents of violence in the state, including the Pampore attack that left eight CRPF personnel dead.

As soon as the House assembled for the day’s proceedings, the NC MLAs asked the speaker to allow them to speak on the security situation, which according to them was “deteriorating.”

Nagrota NC MLA Devender Rana accused the BJP of creating “war hysteria” in the state. He said violent incidents take place along the borders when the government increases the number of troops.

“Bullets are fired here (in Jammu and Kashmir) not in Nagpur,” Rana said, in an apparent reference to the RSS headquarters.

Rana’s comments infuriated BJP MLAs who shouted down the NC MLAs and created a din.

Speaker Kavinder Gupta intervened, saying the central government is capable of defeating Pakistani “designs” in Jammu and Kashmir.

Not satisfied with the Speaker’s intervention, the NC MLAs shouted slogans against the government and staged a walkout.

Later during the proceedings, the ruling PDP MLAs Javed Hassan Beig and Mohammad Abbass Wani also staged a walkout expressing dissatisfaction with the government reply to Wani’s question about rehabilitation of ‘ponywallas’ in Gulmarg tourist resort.

Wani had asked the government about the steps taken by it to rehabilitate the ‘ponywallas’ whose livelihood was affected by the setting up of Cable car at the tourist resort.

Beig wanted to ask a supplementary to the question on the grounds that Gulmarg tourist resort was also affecting part of his Baramulla constituency.

However, the speaker did not allow Beig to speak, prompting the two PDP MLAs to walk out from the house.

NC MLA from Pahalgam, Altaf Kaloo also walked out after the government did not respond to his question whether there was any proposal to start a cable car project in the south Kashmir tourist resort.