BJP Will Not Allow Assembly to Become “Nawai Subah”: LoP Sunil Sharma
Questions Allocation of House Committees to Ruling Alliance MLAs
Asif Iqbal Naik
Jammu, May 13:(KNC) Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma on Wednesday criticised Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather over the allocation of chairmanships of House committees, alleging that the move reflects an attempt to convert the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly into the “Nawai Subah” headquarters of the ruling National Conference.
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In a statement, Sharma said the Assembly belongs to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and not to any particular political party. He asserted that the BJP would oppose any effort aimed at turning the institution into a party-controlled setup.
Taking strong exception to the distribution of committee chairmanships, the BJP leader said that eight out of nine House committees had been handed over to members of the ruling alliance, leaving only one committee for the opposition BJP.
He termed the decision “unfair and disproportionate,” alleging that the principle of proportional representation had been ignored in the process.
“The Speaker has the authority under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the J&K Legislative Assembly to nominate chairpersons of committees, but such powers should be exercised in a balanced and impartial manner,” Sharma said.
He further alleged that several first-time legislators from the ruling alliance had been appointed as heads of committees, while experienced opposition legislators were overlooked.
Sharma said that while the ruling alliance has 54 MLAs and has been allotted chairmanship of eight committees, the BJP, with 29 MLAs, has been given charge of only one committee.
He added that five of the eight committees allotted to the ruling alliance would be headed by National Conference legislators, despite the party having 41 members in the House.
The BJP leader claimed that the development indicated a deliberate attempt to dominate the functioning of the Assembly through the ruling party. (KNC)
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