Srinagar:

Chaotic scenes played out in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly this morning over the resolution seeking restoration of its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution. BJP MLAs clashed with the marshals after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather ordered that some of the protesting Opposition MLAs be removed from the House. A poster seeking restoration of Article 370 sparked another melee involving several MLAs, including J&K People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone.

The day also saw some members of the PDP and People’s Conference submit a fresh resolution seeking the restoration of the special status. Mr Lone slammed the National Conference and said its resolution, which they backed yesterday, is “drama”. “We supported the (resolution) yesterday and their spokesperson tweets that we are allies of BJP. Enough of this nonsense.”  

When the House met today, members of the Opposition BJP started protesting against the resolution passed yesterday. As Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma was speaking, Sheikh Khurshid, Langate MLA and brother of Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, jumped into the Well with a banner that demanded the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A and the release of political prisoners.

The BJP members entered the Well and lunged towards the banner. One of them snatched it from Mr Khursheed’s hand and ran back to the Opposition benches as other BJP members joined him in trying to tear it apart. At this point, Mr Lone intervened and tried to stop them, and a huge scuffle broke out. The marshals brought the situation under control, but more flashpoints followed as both sides voiced their views for and against the resolution.

Speaking to the media outside the House, Mr Lone slammed the National Conference for not coming to Mr Khursheed’s aid when he was attacked. “We have fought against Khursheed saab, but as a Kashmiri, when I saw that he was attacked alone, I couldn’t stop myself. Did anyone from National Conference come?”

The Resolution

The resolution passed yesterday expressed “concern” over the “unilateral removal” of the special status and said the Assembly calls upon the Centre to start a dialogue with elected representatives for its restoration. It was passed without any debate as the BJP members protested and the Speaker opted for a voice vote. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the Assembly had done its job by passing the resolution, which was backed by Mehbooba Mufit’s PDP and Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference, among other parties.

The BJP’s Protest

Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma said the BJP rejects the resolution. He later told the media that the Opposition would not let the House function till the resolution was withdrawn. BJP MLAs have also targeted the Speaker, accusing him of acting like a National Conference leader. BJP is also holding street protests against the resolution. In Delhi, senior BJP leader Smriti Irani slammed the National Conference and its ally Congress, alleging the INDIA alliance of starting a new war against the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Backdrop

The resolution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly yesterday was introduced weeks after the National Conference-Congress alliance won the Assembly polls in the Union Territory. This was the first Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir since it was stripped of its special status and statehood, and bifurcated into two Union Territories in 2019. Restoration of special status was a key promise in the National Conference election manifesto.

J&K People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone said that BJP would have faced public rejection for scrapping article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir if it had contested polls in the Valley.

Sajad Lone, who is being accused of being BJP’s “team B” in the Valley, denied having any association with the party and blamed Omar Abdullah for helping BJP by creating a false narrative.

Mr Lone said the parliament election was the first test of “moral acceptance or rejection” of BJPs decision on Article 370 and they chose not field any candidate to avoid facing the defeat.

“I had this idea a year ago that BJP will not field candidates for parliament elections in Kashmir because it’s the first election after abrogation of Article 370,” said Mr Lone.

“Everyone knew they will not field candidates because if they will get just one percent vote. It would have meant a moral rejection. So they made a clever move not to field candidate” said Sajad Lone.

Mr Lone said that BJP is a peripheral party in Kashmir and blamed Omar Abdullah for helping BJP like several other Muslim leaders in the country.

“There are several Muslim leaders in the country who work for BJP, Omar Abdullah has also been hired by BJP and he’s terming every opponent of National Conference as B team of BJP in Kashmir,” he said.

The BJP, meanwhile, said that it is the “kingmaker” and without their support no one can win parliament elections in the Valley.

“We are the kingmakers. We have support of people in every part of the Valley and without our support no party can win these elections” said Ravindra Raina, BJP’s J&K President.

Top BJP leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah have appealed people in Kashmir to vote for any candidate who fights against National Conference and the PDP.

Mr Lone who is contesting from the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat against Omar Abdullah has sought an apology from National Conference leader for making “false” allegation against him about his links with BJP

Mr Abdullah had accused Sajad Lone of publicly accepting that he’s part of the BJP.

“If Omar Abdullah is true in his claim that I have made a statement of being part of BJP, let him show the clip. I am ready to tender a public apology. And if this is false, then he should apologise,” said Mr Lone