Legislators Not To Ask Questions On Security In JK Assembly

Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories by the Centre on August 5, 2019 necessitating the new rules.

Srinagar: Legislators in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will not be allowed to raise discussions on matters related to security and public order and All India Services, according to the draft rules prepared ahead of the first budget session.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has summoned the budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from March 3. This is the maiden budget of the elected government of Union Territory after seven years of direct central government rule.

The move, seen as part of a broader change ushered by the J&K Reorganisation Act followed by business rules amendments last year allowing more powers to the LG, effectively narrows the scope of legislative debates.

The rules were necessitated as Jammu and Kashmir was downgraded and bifurcated into two Union Territories by centre on August 5, 2019 with J&K Reorganisation Act ushering in new rules.

Subsequently, the Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather constituted a 9-member committee to finalise the draft Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Legislative Assembly last month.

The panel comprising four members from NC including the Speaker, two from BJP and one each from Congress, CPI(M) and independent legislator has been formed under Rule 363 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly by the speaker.

It was learnt that the draft rules have been readied and circulated among the committee members with a meeting scheduled on February 4.

The meeting to be held in the Jammu Assembly secretariat will decide about implementation of the rules for guiding the proceedings of the House.

Earlier, the bicameral House comprising J&K Legislative Assembly and J&K Legislative Council was functioning according to the J&K Constitution allowing it powers on all the domains including Home portfolio.

Senior legislators like CPI (M) leader MY Tarigami who was part of the panel told ETV Bharat that the changes like not asking questions on public order or All India Services brought by the J&K Reorganisation Act followed by an amendment in business rules has ‘diminished’ the role of legislature.

He said the elected government will not be able to reply to the questions on these domains as it has been divested of the authority of those subjects.

“But a final decision will evolve at the February 4 meeting and we want some modification in existing rules of the House ,” said another legislator.

The draft rules will be placed before the House for adoption before the budget session and will delineate the domain of the Assembly and legislators.

In the meantime, the Assembly Secretariat has requested the members not to send more than 10 starred and 10 unstarred questions and not more than three bills.

The members were also asked not to send more than four resolutions in terms of Rule 174 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly by or before February 16.