Media, PDP misleading Assembly: Sagar

Session signs off amid anti-Govt slogans over NC activist’s death

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Oct 4: While contesting reports of two Srinagar-based newspapers, Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Sagar, today claimed in Legislative Assembly that Government’s requisition of a sitting judge for holding inquiry into the NC activist Syed Yousuf’s death had been received in J&K High Court on October 1^st. Sagar’s assertion came amid continual ruckus that forced Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone to terminate the proceedings and adjourn the Assembly sine die.

Fighting PDP’s commotion over Yousuf’s death, allegedly due to physical torture at Chief Minister’s residential office, Ali Mohammad Sagar strongly contradicted reports in two Srinagar dailies which, according to him, had misled the House. Sagar referred to two particular reports and alleged that the same had animated PDP and, according him, both were misleading Assembly and the people of the state with regard to proposed judicial inquiry in Yousuf’s death.

Nearly 20 MLAs of PDP had earlier raised voice in support of their fresh adjournment motion while waving local newspapers and claiming that Government’s declaration of a judicial inquiry was “baseless”. While as one newspaper had reported yesterday that Chief Justice had turned down the state government’s requisition, another reported in a front page story today that the request had never gone to J&K High Court. On the basis of these reports, PDP disputed the official claim of a judicial inquiry and sought a full-length discussion on the subject in a fresh adjournment motion.

Like yesterday, Speaker disallowed the motion of 12 MLAs of PDP on his already advanced argument. He maintained that a discussion on the disputed death could hamper the investigation and influence the judicial inquiry. Even as the opposition PDP legislators asserted that, as of now, there was neither an FIR nor a judicial inquiry into this particular case, and, as such, the matter was not sub judice, Speaker retorted that his ruling was irrevocable.

PDP’s uncompromising MLAs protested Speaker’s ruling and the Treasury Bench’s persistent efforts to digress the business. They trooped into the well, played a tug-of-war with the marshals and raised slogans against the 33-month-long Omar Abdullah government. Their slogans: “andha qanoon nahi chalega”, “gunda gardi nahi chalegi”, “qatal ka hisab dau” et al. However, Speaker did not force them out through the marshals.

Significantly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, PDP Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Shia cleric and PDP’s high profile MLA Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari did not attend the proceedings today. PDF Chairman and independent MLA from Khansahab, Hakeem Mohammad Yasin, remained absent with the complaint that Government and NC were “unnecessarily sitting on prestige” over the demand of discussion. Independent MLA from Langet, Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rashid, has already declared himself on boycott to register his protest over the ruling parties’ machination on the Afzal Guru resolution.

Speaking on behalf of the government, Sagar waved documents and receipts to substantiate his claim that Law Secretary had delivered a requisition on High Court and same had been duly acknowledged by the concerned. He asserted that the state government was absolutely clear and sincere in holding inquiry by a sitting High Court judge. He claimed that both the reports, on which PDP relied to file a fresh motion, were “misleading and incorrect”.

Even as Congress remained a mute spectator, NC’s MLAs clashed with the PDP and some other parties’ members, including Hakeem Yasin, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and Harsh Dev Singh, joined the demand of discussion, Speaker rejected the adjournment motion.

Speaker conducted rest of the scheduled business amid din as the PDP MLAs kept shouting slogans and some opposition members from Jammu, including BJP’s Jugal Kishore, NPP’s Harsh Dev Singh and JSM’s Ashwani Kumar, complained that entire time had been wasted on one or two issues and most of the important issues had remained intact. Amid today’s din, Speaker got two Bills, related to VAT and Financial management, moved and passed with verbal vote in less than four minutes.

As Speaker declared Assembly sine die at 10.40 a.m. PDP MLAs wlaked out while continuing slogans. Speaking to media outside, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti maintained that discussion on Syed Yousuf’s death was more important than any other issue as it, according to her, involved “murder and political corruption”.

Outside the Legislative Complex and J&K High Court Complex, relatives and followers of the influential Shia cleric and PDP’s MLA Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, staged a demonstration against Speaker. They protested Speaker’s humiliation and abusing of Maulvi’s family members while urging Chief Minister to remove Mr Lone as Speaker. Immediately after yesterday’s altercation between the two, Speaker had withdrawn his unparliamentary remarks and apologized to the PDP MLA.

END