The strength with which Leader of Opposition in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma and BJP MLA from Kishtwar Shagun Parihar raised the plight of the flood-affected people in the House reflects the true spirit of democracy. Both the leaders made it clear that if the government turns its back on public questions, the opposition will not remain silent. Let us tell you that BJP MLAs walked out of the House in protest against the Speaker’s rejection of the demand for discussion on the condition of flood-ravaged areas. Earlier, BJP members remained standing during the entire question hour, becoming the voice of the public and demanding answers from the government.
Let us tell you that as soon as the House proceedings began, BJP MLAs canceled the Question Hour and demanded immediate discussion on the flood affected areas of Jammu. Opposition leader Sunil Sharma said, “The August rains devastated most parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The public expected their elected representatives to raise their voice, but the government is silent.” He raised the question, “What does the government want to hide” when the news of a scam worth crores in the Public Works Department (PWD) has been published in the media. The ruling party got upset due to Sunil Sharma’s sharp questions and an uproar started in the House.
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On the other hand, amidst the uproar, BJP MLA Shagun Parihar tried to register the public’s voice by going in front of the Asan, but the women security personnel stopped her. Despite this, Parihar did not back down. He said that “if the government does not want to listen to the public, then it would be a crime for the opposition to remain silent.” His bold step sparked discussion outside the House also. Shagun Parihar along with two other BJP MLAs—RS Pathania and Surinder Kumar—were taken out by security personnel even though they were only demanding a discussion. Let us tell you that in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, leaders like Sunil Sharma and Shagun Parihar have emerged as symbols of public expectations – who are standing in the House raising not just slogans but grassroots issues.
On the other hand, seeing the unity of the opposition, the leaders of the ruling party started making statements. National Conference MLA Nazir Ahmed Khan Gureji said that “BJP members are doing drama.” Whereas Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chaudhary crossed the limits when he said, “Thieves create noise.” This comment further heated the atmosphere of the House. BJP members described the statement as an “insult to the public” and said that “if raising the public’s suffering is a drama, then the very existence of this House is meaningless.”
The opposition says that the Omar Abdullah government is maintaining silence on issues like delay in flood relief, irregularities in distribution of relief funds and departmental corruption. Opposition leader Sunil Sharma said flood victims have not yet received compensation, roads and bridges have been washed away in many villages and relief efforts are limited to paper. He demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and an apology from the public for “unfulfilled promises”.
On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary hit back at the BJP and said, “If the BJP holds a debate on corruption for 2 hours a day, the milk of milk will turn into water. If there is anyone, the biggest corrupt party is the BJP. To hide its 10 years of corruption, the BJP is blaming only NC. Our back is clean.”
If seen, the developments in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly have once again shown a mirror to the politics of the state – while the ruling party seems to be avoiding debate on sensitive issues, the opposition has kept the problems of the people on priority.