Srinagar, Apr 12: “For the first time in Jammu and Kashmir’s legislative history, the government itself disrupted Assembly proceedings. For three consecutive days, they staged a drama to avoid responding to members’ bills, resolutions and public issues,” Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma said on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, LoP said that by April 16, the present government will have completed six months. “In these six months, we have had two Assembly sessions—one very brief, lasting just 3–4 days, and the budget session, which lasted 20–25 days. But none of the promises made during this period are reflected in either the budget or in governance,” he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said the National Conference (NC) made fun of the daily wagers—people they themselves claimed to support. They promised regularisation of daily wagers but failed to deliver.
“NC promised five lakh jobs—what happened to that? The only job they offered was a backdoor appointment to a party leader’s nephew. What about jobs for the children of the poor,” he asked.
Sharma added that NC said women are getting free bus services, but at the same time, they increased rent by 7%, petrol prices by Rs 1, and diesel by Rs 2. “This budget session revealed the governance failure of the NC government. It shows deception and disappointment for the people,” he said.
The LoP expressed outrage over the Assembly’s disruption, saying, “The Speaker is theirs, yet they did not allow the Assembly to function for three days in protest of the Waqf amendment bill. Why? Because many members had submitted bills, resolutions and call-attention motions to raise public issues, and the government didn’t want to respond.”
Commenting on the current situation, Sharma said that today, there are no strikes, no calendars, no stone-pelting. “Poor parents are happily sending their children to school. Go to downtown Srinagar—people can now open shops after 15–20 years. Since Amit Shah and Narendra Modi took charge of security, downtown is flourishing. Schools are open, businesses are thriving,” he said.
“When the Home Department was with NC, downtown areas were always shut down. Stone-pelting was common. Shops and schools remained closed. When Yasin Malik was out, Maisuma remained shut. Today, after his arrest, that same area is thriving,” he added.
The BJP leader said NC often claims that 10,000 of its workers were killed—but most of these deaths occurred when the Home Department was under its own leadership. “Since the Centre took charge of law and order, not a single NC worker has been killed. This raises serious questions about their past handling of security,” he said.
Sharma criticised the behaviour of NC MLAs, “You sent your MLAs to the Assembly to talk about electricity, water, roads, peace and healthcare. Instead, they are shouting religious slogans like ‘Takbir, Allah-u-Akbar.’ Is the Assembly a mosque? What are they trying to provoke or mislead?” he said.
These, he claimed, are all an attempt to divert attention and mislead the public. “The NC is trying to escape accountability. We want to assure the people that our leadership—be it Narendra Modi or Amit Shah—is committed to the promises made,” he said.
The BJP leader urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to “remain calm”. “Omar Abdullah doesn’t need to keep demanding statehood—it will come at the right time. There’s no need to be misled. The statehood will be restored at the appropriate time. Narendra Modi is committed to it,” he added.
