J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, while commenting on PDP MLA Waheed ur Rehman Parra’s resolution opposing abrogation of Article 370, said on Monday that the resolution tabled by a private member has little significance. Omar Abdullah said in the Assembly that a single MLA’s private resolution during remarks over the Speaker’s election carries no meaning. He, however, admitted that the majority of people in J&K have not endorsed the changes made in 2019 and thereafter.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha in his address to the Assembly said that he fully endorsed the Chief Minister’s demand for restoration of statehood to J&K. There was a ruckus in the Assembly when Waheed ur Rehman Parra brought in the resolution opposing the abrogation of Article 370 as BJP MLAs opposed the move and raised a hue and cry in the house. During the ruckus, the Speaker, Abdul Rahim Rather adjourned the house for 15 minutes. NC leader and 7-times MLA, Abdul Rahim Rather was elected as the Speaker of J&K Assembly on Monday while Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Waheed ur Rehman Parra introduced a resolution opposing the abrogation of Article 370.
Pro-tem Speaker Mubarak Gul of the NC announced that Abdul Rahim Rather has been unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Assembly. As PDP MLA from Pulwama constituency of the Valley, Waheed ur Rehman Parra introduced a resolution opposing the abrogation of Article 370, NC spokesman and MLA Tanvir Sadiq had already said that the NC will bring in a resolution for restoration of Article 370 in the current session of the J&K Assembly.
Interestingly, while the Congress is committed to support the restoration of statehood to J&K, its MLAs are unlikely to support the resolution to restore Article 370 if the NC chooses to bring it up in the session. NC had made the restoration of statehood and Article 370 its main electoral plank. Although the passing of a resolution for restoration of article 370 by the J&K Assembly would have no bearing on the supremacy of the Indian Parliament on this issue, the NC strategy is basically meant to mount pressure on the Centre on one hand and prove to the voters on the other hand that the party stands by its electoral promises.
The five-day long session of J&K Assembly began on Monday with the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s address. NC has 42 seats, BJP has 28 (one seat has fallen vacant because of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana’s death), Congress 6, PDP 3, CPI-M 1, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) 1, Peoples Conference (PC) 1 and Independents 7.
–IANS
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