Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference President and Handwara MLA Sajad Lone has launched a sharp attack on the National Conference (NC), accusing it of sabotaging a crucial discussion on the Waqf bill during the last three days of the Assembly session.
In a fiery post on X, Lone wrote:
The model of democracy that we are following is the British Model.
The British with all their expertise couldn’t invent a situation where a party can simultaneously be the ruling party and the opposition party. The NC attempted that impossible feat over the last 3 days of Assembly.
They have a brute majority. More than fifty of them held the entire Assembly to ransom. An ugly blend of cacophony and cantankerousness ensured that the Assembly was repeatedly adjourned.
The MLAs in age groups of 40 to 50 to 60 to 70 years were merrily jumping around, climbing tables, making the Assembly resemble a Nursery school. They were shouting slogans, laughing, and whiling away time like Nursery goers.
It was a free for all and scenes from the assembly resembled overgrown ugly uncles almost vandalising the assembly, shouting, sloganeering and being bad boys tearing to shreds any piece of paper they could lay their hands on and throwing them in the air.
And the speaker looked like an unworried principal, seemingly in know of when and how the “song and dance performance” will end.
The overgrown uncles and the unworried principal seemed to be in a state of argument. The unworried principal wore a forlorn look, would occasionally smile, stretch his neck, take a peep around, smile and then announce adjournment. He was bad at pretending. He pretended to be lost which he never was.
After three days of vocal rampage by the overgrown uncles, the unworried principal was miraculously allowed to make a speech, followed by yet another round of cacophony and now finally followed by the unworried principal calling it sine die.
NC brings in a adjournment motion on Wakf and the Speaker who incidentally is an NC member and is the Speaker at the pleasure of these very members, refuses to allow any discussion and says it is sub judice.
The tiny Kashmir based oppostion proposes a no confidence motion against the speaker in reaction to his refusal to allow any discussion of any sort on Waqf bill.
The same shouting NC brigade refuses to support the no confidence motion.
NC has the majority and by virtue of this majority have a Chief Minister, a speaker and a cabinet. They run the government, they enjoy all the perks of power. The onus of having a discussion on Wakf was on the majority.
Is it the speaker’s fault. But is the speaker bigger than the Waqf bill. They could have removed him and got a new speaker who would facilitate the discussion on Waqf.
So is this majority only to enjoy power. Is this majority not to be used when a powerful message has to be sent —that we are Muslims and will not accept any interference in our religious affairs.
Being in power does not mean enjoying power alone. It comes with a set of responsibilities. So NC is okay with enjoying power but is not willing to fulfill its responsibilities.
As much as you use noise as a weapon, the truth stares in our faces. NC sabotaged the Wakf discussion. And used noise and bedlam to camaflouge the mother of all betrayals. — THE WAKF BETRAYAL
My dear kashmiris.
The shouting brigade was NC
The speaker was NC
The tulips were NC
Anyone can go to the court and enact yet another theatrical performance. But the will of the people of J and K vests in the Assembly. That milestone in history that event of the only Muslim Manority province of India lending its support to fellow Muslims in the country and opposing the draconian Waqf bill is lost for all times to come.”
Lone accused the NC of using disruptions as a cover to block debate on the Waqf bill and called it “the mother of all betrayals.”
