SRINAGAR: The budget session of Jammu and Kashmir legislature began on Tuesday on a stormy note on Tuesday with opposition members staging a walk-out and interrupting Governor N N Vohra’s address to the joint session of legislators.
The opposition National Conference, Congress and Kashmir-based legislators chanted anti-government slogans, accused the PDP-BJP coalition government of killing the spirit of democracy in the state and waved placards as the Governor started his address to joint sitting of legislators on the start of budget session of State legislature in Jammu, the winter capital of the State, today.
The NC legislators were spotting black armbands.
Vohra stopped his address as the opposition members were raising noise. The NC leader handed over the memorandum, which described PDP-BJP coalition government has threat to State’s constitutional identity and expressed deep concern over worsening situation, continued political vacuum that has affected State’s human rights situation, economy and growth adversely, power crisis and rise in unemployment, to the Governor.
The opposition members continued to raise anti-government slogans and thumping the desks to disturb Governor’s speech. However, when he continued his speech, the entire opposition except independent MLA Er Abdur Rashid staged walk-out.
After the opposition left the house, Governor continued his speech and said the appointment of interlocutor on Kashmir to hold talks with people belonging to all shades of opinion is recognition of the concern for widening the constituency of peace and include even those who may have contrary ideological convictions.
On October 23, 2017, former IB chief Dineshwar Sharma was appointed as Special Representative by central government for holding sustained dialogue with stakeholders in J&K.
Vohra said the State government was hopeful that soon all segments would come forward for a dialogue and all issues would find resolution.
“The challenges will be met only through dialogue, which is the best means of resolving all disagreements,” he said.
Terming the peace as a great force multiplier, Governor hoped that as the engagement with all the stakeholders gains ground, there would be a yearning for peace.
Reiterating the roadmap for meeting development and peace aspirations with a thrust on resolution of conflicts and dealing with violence, he said the government has taken the required initiatives to see that the worries of the youth are resolved and they get positively engaged in every arena of activity.
He also regretted that women and children have suffered the most from the recurring disturbances in the Valley.
Vohra said PDP-BJP government is determined to ensure that the arc of violence does not spread from the fringes to the mainstream to yet again disrupt the people’s lives.”
“The government remains committed to wean our youth from the purveyors of violence. Thus the real battle is not on the streets but to combat and counter the deviation of the younger generation from the inherited values of the society. Government is committed to do everything to bring them back to the fold,” he said.
Vohra said security forces have been successfully carrying out targeted anti-militancy operations. “We hope that these shall involve the least possible collateral damage to the lives and properties of innocent persons.”
He announced that the government has decided to start Panchayat elections during February and afterwards polls for Urban Local Bodies would be held.
The Governor disclosed that about 1.2 million tourists, including over 26,000 foreigners, visited the State during 2017. “Over 8 million pilgrims paid obeisance at Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu while about 2.60 lakh yatris visited Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir last year.”