Disruptions Continue in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Over Article 370, BJP MLAs Evicted
Srinagar, 8th November 2024: For the third consecutive day, disruptions continued in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs raised slogans against Article 370 and the special status resolution. In response, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather ordered the eviction of at least 12 BJP MLAs, who had stormed into the well of the House, and they were escorted out by marshals.
Following the eviction, 11 BJP MLAs staged a walkout in protest. Earlier, Awami Ittehad Party MLA Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh, brother of Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, was also removed from the House.
During Friday’s proceedings, Sajad Lone, the chief of the People’s Conference and MLA from Handwara, along with Waheed Para, MLA from Pulwama for the People’s Democratic Party, displayed a poster calling for the restoration of Article 370. This sparked protests from BJP members, who stood on tables in defiance. Sheikh also joined the protest by moving to the well, but he too was escorted out by marshals.
Sheikh accused the National Conference and BJP of being in a ‘fixed match’ within the House, claiming that only six MLAs who oppose the abrogation of Article 370 are being targeted. He dismissed the National Conference’s resolution as ineffective, calling it a mere “eyewash.”
On Thursday, the assembly had to be adjourned after a confrontation between BJP MLAs and marshals over a resolution calling for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary introduced the resolution on Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the region’s special status, which he argued is essential to preserving its identity, culture, and rights. The resolution urged the Centre to engage in dialogue with elected representatives to restore these constitutional guarantees while respecting national unity and the people’s aspirations.
