LA: 'Speaker biased', claims Opposition, stages walkout

Ruckus in LA over power crises

JAMMU: National Conference and Congress legislators on Friday staged walkout from the Legislative Assembly claiming that Speaker Kavinder Gupta was biased towards the opposition.
They said that the Speaker always try to suppress the voice of opposition "as if he is Speaker of BJP only."
Soon after the Minister for Agriculture production, Ghulam Nabi Lone (Hanjura) winded up the discussion on grants of Agriculture Department, the Speaker, Kavinder Gupta asked the opposition legislators if they want to withdraw their cut motions or not.
To this, almost all the opposition legislators except few replied with "Yes."
Without noticing the other legislators who had wished not to withdraw their cut motions to allow the Agriculture Department grants, when the Speaker tried to approve the grants, NC MLA from Khanyar, Ali Mohammad Sagar said that he didn't want to withdraw his cut motion.
After Speaker didn't listen to NC MLA, he (Sagar) stood from the chair and alleged Speaker of suppressing the voice of opposition.
Sagar was supported by other NC and Congress legislators as well. All the agitating MLAs came to the well requesting the Speaker to at least listen to what the NC MLA had to say. Followed by this, Speaker requested all the NC and Congress legislators to take their seats but NC's Sagar said that "it is not the way to run the House."
He said that Speaker was trying to violate the set legislature tradition by not allowing opposition speaks on any issue.
Addressing the Speaker, Sagar said, "You're not only the Speaker of BJP or the PDP-BJP. You have to listen to the issues of the opposition as well." Sagar also said that he and other opposition legislators had also supported the Speaker when he had alleged breach of his privilege by the Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh "but you are completely biased towards the opposition members."
In support of Sagar, NC MLA, Mubarak Gull said, "Even we know what to speak and what not to. We don't want to speak on cut motions but at least we have the right to get a reply from the Agriculture Minister on the issues of our constituency."
Later, all the opposition legislators staged a joint walkout from the Assembly in protest against the "Speaker's bias."
On Friday, the Assembly was also rocked with protests by the opposition, irked by Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh's reply over the power crisis prevailing in the state, before the NC-PDP legislators staged a walkout from the House.
The uproar began, during zero hour when National Conference MLA Syed Aga Ruhullah Mehdi raised the issue of power scarcity in entire Kashmir in harsh winters, asserting that power scenario has worsened in the Valley.
He said that power sector is one of the worst in PDP-BJP rule and added that common public in Kashmir is living in dark due to power shortage. He also said that transformers are once defunct, not being repaired or replaced again.
In reply to his question, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, also the PDD Minister, said the augmentation of 33/11 KV receiving station Ichgam was sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 75 lakh.
Singh said the people of Jammu region are also facing same fate in summer season.
He said, "Similar is the situation in Jammu in summer season but efforts are being made to provide uninterrupted power supply to the people of the state."
Singh said that NC people are politicising the issue following which the opposition members stood on their seats and shouted slogans.
The members entered into the well of the House and staged protest.
However, amid shouts, opposition members staged walkout from the House and also criticized the state government for not taking genuine issues seriously. Leader of Opposition Omar Abdullah also walked out.