SRINAGAR: The maiden Budget session of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly after over seven years is expected to be stormy as issues like Article 370, ban on liquor and reservation disparity are likely to take centre stage and BJP’s warning that its legislators won’t allow any ‘anti-national’ bill to be tabled in the House.
The Budget Session will start on Monday with Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s address. The legislators have been instructed to maintain decorum and attentively listen to LG’s address, which will start at 10 am.
CM Omar Abdullah, who is also finance minister of J&K, will present the budget. The last budget was presented by then PDP finance minister Dr Haseen Drabu in the Assembly in February 2018.
The J&K Legislative Assembly comprises 90 elected members. The number can go up to 95 as the L-G has powers to nominate five members to the house including two women, two from Kashmiri Pandit community including a woman, and one representing displaced persons from PoK. However, Lt Governor has not nominated the five members so far. The issue has gone into backburner as NC enjoys a comfortable majority in the House.
Since one BJP member passed away and CM vacated Budgam seat, of the 88-member J&K Assembly, NC has 41 members with five independents, six Congress and two members one belonging to (CPIM) and AAP supporting the Omar government. BJP has 28 members.
The NC, Congress and BJP held legislature party meetings in Jammu today to chalk out strategy for the Assembly session. Omar also chaired a joint legislature party meeting of coalition partners in Jammu.
The focus of the Assembly will be the private members bill submitted by the legislators.
Peoples Conference chairman and MLA Handwara Sajjad Lone has submitted a bill to condemn the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A by centre on August 5, 2019 and demand its restoration. Three legislators including two from opposition and one from ruling NC have moved bills to seek complete ban on sale and consumption of liquor in J&K.
NC MLA Dr Bashir Ahmed Veeri has submitted a bill seeking rationalisation in reservation in J&K. The bill has sought 60 per cent reservation for Open Merit and 40 per cent for categories. The reservation policy introduced by the L-G administration before Assembly polls last year reduced the Open Merit category to mere 30% and increased the quota for reserved categories to 70%.