Jammu, Feb 28: The National Conference and the Congress have scheduled separate meetings for their legislature parties on Sunday, the day before the commencement of the first budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in seven years.
This upcoming 40-day budget session, comprising 22 sittings, is set to start on March 3 with an address from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
It is anticipated that the session will be contentious, as the Peoples Conference has reportedly submitted a resolution to the assembly secretariat, criticizing the abrogation of Article 370 and calling for the restoration of the constitutional status as it was before August 2019.
On February 27, Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather convened an all-party meeting with legislators, urging collaboration during the budget session to enhance the productivity of the assembly.
This will mark the first budget presented under the leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s National Conference government, which took office in October last year, effectively ending a six-year period of central rule.
The previous budget session occurred in 2018 under the PDP-BJP government of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, which was divided into two Union Territories after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
National Conference chief whip Mubarak Gul has called for a legislature party meeting at the residence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on March 2. The meeting aims to strategize for a smooth session, as indicated by a party official.
“Considering the significance of this meeting, all members are kindly requested to make it a point to attend,” Gul stated.
Similarly, Congress chief whip Nizam-ud-Din Bhat has urged party legislators to be present at their meeting at the party headquarters in Jammu on the same date.
Last year, the National Conference and Congress contested the assembly elections as allies; however, Congress—with six MLAs—has opted not to join the government, citing a desire to wait for the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory. Nevertheless, the Congress has clarified that it supports the government.
The National Conference secured 42 seats in the 90-member assembly, bolstered by the support of its alliance partner CPI(M), which won one seat, along with six independent legislators.
While addressing the all-party meeting, Rather remarked, “The budget session is a pivotal time for policy discussions and financial planning. I urge all members to engage in constructive debates, maintain decorum, and work toward the collective welfare of our constituents and the overall region of Jammu and Kashmir.” On February 23, the Speaker expressed concern over the excessive publicity of the house business notices by opposition parties ahead of the session, stating, “It is inappropriate to draw unnecessary attention to questions, bills, resolutions, and other house-related matters, as it breaches privilege.”
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, in response, accused Rather of enforcing a form of “martial law” while holding a constitutional position.
In another development, Mufti sent a letter to the Chief Minister on Thursday, seeking his backing for three private member bills that her party legislators intend to present during the budget session. These bills seek to regularize and recognize property rights on public land, establish special provisions for the regularization of temporary employees, and prohibit alcohol in the Union Territory.
Mufti also sent similar letters to leaders of the BJP, Congress, CPI(M), and Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani.
While it’s unclear if the Speaker accepted the resolution proposed by the chairman of the Peoples Conference, the BJP has stated that it will not tolerate any “unconstitutional, undemocratic, or anti-national agendas” during the session.
On March 7, Abdullah will present the budget to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for the first time. Previously, he had held positions in the home and general administrative departments during his earlier tenure as Chief Minister from 2009 to 2014 in the former state.
In the absence of an assembly in Jammu and Kashmir, the previous five budgets were proposed and approved by Parliament, while the budget for 2019-2020 was sanctioned by the state administrative council led by then-Governor Satya Pal Malik after the PDP-BJP government collapsed in June 2018.
This upcoming session will be the second assembly meeting since the National Conference-led government took office in the Union Territory. Earlier, the assembly convened in Srinagar from November 4 to 8, shortly following the government’s establishment, but faced consistent disruptions from the BJP over a National Conference resolution advocating for the restoration of special status. (Agencies)
