Chaos in J&K Assembly, BJP MLA’s clash with MLA Khurshid over resolution on Article 370

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly continued to face disruption on Thursday as the opposition mounted a strong objection to Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) MLA and brother of Engineer Rashid, Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh, displaying a banner on Article 370.

The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Sunil Sharma, along with other BJP MLAs, objected to the banner display of Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh as the opposition MLAs stormed into the well of the House and were seen involved in a scuffle with Seikh Khurshid and other MLAs of the treasury bench.

The Speaker ordered the marshals to remove those members who were seen crossing their limits and asked the opposition leaders to behave properly.

#WATCH | Srinagar, J&K | Engineer Rashid’s brother & Awami Ittehad Party MLA Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh, who displayed a banner on Article 370 in the J&K Assembly today, says, “This is completely legal. We wanted to bring a resolution over Article 370, but we were not given a chance.… https://t.co/0I2QUMLmwV pic.twitter.com/wG46aafyRO

— ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2024

Earlier, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) moved a fresh resolution seeking the restoration of Article 370 and 35A. “The House strongly condemns the unconstitutional and unilateral abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A, along with the enactment of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, by the Government of India. These actions stripped J-K of its special status and statehood, underminding the foundational guarantees and protections originally according to the region and its people by the Constitution of India,” read the proposed resolution.

The resolution was signed by PDP leaders and Sheikh Khurshid too. The first session of the newly elected Assembly kick started on November 4. On the first day too, uproar erupted in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly when PDP (People’s Democratic Party) leader Waheed Para, representing the Pulwama constituency introduced a resolution against the revocation of Article 370 and to restore the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti lauded the PDP leader for introducing the resolution in the Assembly.

Notably, 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 first session of the new assembly will conclude on November 8. Besides the L-G’s address, there will be obituary references for former legislators who passed away since the last session of the erstwhile J-K Assembly on November 5. (ANI)