JAMMU, Feb 4: BJP legislators on Wednesday staged a walkout from the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, accusing Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather of bias in allowing members of the ruling party more time to speak during proceedings.
The BJP members left the House despite the Speaker’s attempt to persuade them to remain seated, with Rather asserting that he was not discriminating between members and was giving time as per rules.
Before the walkout, heated exchanges took place between BJP legislators and treasury bench members, who accused the national party of indulging in divisive politics and of having earlier stalled the Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College project after a majority of selected students belonged to the Muslim community.
As the Speaker tried to restore order, BJP leaders objected to the time being granted to National Conference legislator Sajad Shaheen, who was speaking on the motion of thanks to the Lieutenant Governor’s address.
The BJP alleged that ruling alliance members were being given disproportionate speaking time, while their own legislators were either ignored or frequently curtailed.
Rejecting the charge, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather maintained that the House was being conducted strictly in accordance with established rules and parliamentary conventions. (Agencies)
