National Conference, Congress, and independent MLAs raised slogans and staged a protest on Monday, inside the J&K Legislative Assembly over the controversial Waqf Bill. NC legislators demanded discussion over the contentious bill, but the House Speaker rejected it saying the matter was sub judice.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather adjourned the House for the day, for the third time, as his decision created chaos. BJP MLA Sunil Sharma mounted a vociferous opposition after the motion was moved by National Conference’s Nazir Gurezi and Tanvir Sadiq.
Sadiq highlighted that the Waqf Act is a religious matter concerning their faith. He said there is no issue more pressing than this and urged the Speaker to address the critical bill. However, Rather adjourned the House for 15 minutes after refusing to suspend the question hour for the debate.
This escalated into a ruckus as NC MLAs Hilal Lone and Salman Sagar tore copies of the Waqf Act, and raised slogans ‘BJP haay haay’ with Congress members, and MLA Abdul Majeed Larmi threw his jacket on the floor in protest.
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Waqf Bill In Supreme Court
The Speaker said the issue is pending in court and thus cannot be discussed in the House. He pointed out that the bill is currently sub judice in the Supreme Court. “I have received writ petitions, it cannot be debated here,” he Rather explained.
Sadiq told reporters that it is their democratic right to raise this issue. “J&K is a Muslim-majority state, and it is the responsibility of the MLAs to discuss such matters,” the National Conference MLA said. “We have moved an adjournment motion, which has been signed by 10 to 11 MLAs.” Sadiq has also submitted a resolution and hopes the Speaker will call for debate.
However, PDP leader Waheed Parra accused the J&K government of siding with the NDA government over the Waqf Bill. He said if the state fails to pass a resolution against the Waqf Bill, it reflects the resentment of every Muslim.
