Srinagar, Nov 4: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, addressing the Legislative Assembly on Monday, urged newly elected Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to uphold impartiality across party lines.
“As the custodian of this House, we count on you to treat all members equally,” said Omar. “Each representative, whether from the ruling party or opposition, deserves an equal voice. You have our full support in making this Assembly an effective forum for addressing public concerns.”
Omar said said Rather (80) was a “natural choice” for the post due to his vast experience. He said Rather has earlier raised the dignity of the House in various capacities, and as the custodian of the House now, “we expect you to do justice with all members”.
BJP Leader of the Opposition, Sunil Sharma, echoed Omar’s sentiment, pledging the opposition’s cooperation to ensure smooth operations in the House.
“First of all, I want to extend my best wishes on behalf of opposition benches. After a long time, the assembly has been constituted again. It is our good fortune that people have sent their representatives to this House and it has elected you as the custodian,” the BJP leader said.
Senior Congress leader G.A. Mir and CPI(M) legislator M.Y. Tarigami, Sajad Lone also joined in congratulating Rather on his new role, underscoring his responsibility to represent all legislators fairly.
The first session of the newly elected Jammu and Kashmir assembly also kickstarted with an uproar. After electing National Conference leader Abul Rahim Rather as speaker, a ruckus broke out over Article 370 in the first assembly session held after six years.
After introduction of a resolution opposing the revocation of Article 370 and restoration of the special status of J&K by the People’s Democratic Party leader Waheed Para, chief minister Omar Abdullah said that it was brought merely ‘for the cameras’ and a single MLA’s private resolution carries no meaning.
He added that if there had been a genuine intention behind the resolution, it should have been discussed with the National Conference.
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