Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly Wednesday passed a historic resolution seeking the restoration of the special status for the erstwhile state.
On day three of its maiden session, the Union Territory Assembly witnessed a dramatic turn as Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary introduced the resolution seeking the restoration of the special status J&K enjoyed under Article 370.
The resolution, which calls for reinstating the special constitutional provisions for the erstwhile state, was passed with a majority vote amid strong opposition from the BJP legislatures.
Choudhary, speaking on behalf of the government, defended the resolution, which he read aloud to the Assembly: "This Legislative Assembly reaffirms the importance of the special status and constitutional guarantees, which safeguarded the identity, culture, and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and expresses concern over their unilateral removal. This Assembly calls upon the Government of India to initiate dialogue with elected representatives of people of Jammu and Kashmir for restoration of special status, constitutional guarantee and to work out constitutional mechanisms for restoring the provisions. This Assembly emphasises that any process for restoration safeguards both national unity and the legitimate aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir".
As soon as Choudhary introduced the resolution, the house witnessed a ruckus as LoP Sharma opposed it, saying the parliament had already abrogated Article 370 and the same cannot be restored. Last month, ETV Bharat had reported about Omar Abdullah-led government's plan to introduce the resolution.
Wednesday's resolution gained backing from National Conference legislatures, including Health Minister Sakina Itoo, who seconded the motion. Additionally, independent MLAs Sheikh Khursheed and Shabir Kullay, People's Conference (PC) chief Sajad Lone, and three PDP legislators voiced their support, strengthening the government's position in the House.
Despite mounting support for the resolution, BJP leaders, led by Sharma, continued to raise objections, questioning the shift in legislative priorities and arguing that the motion was introduced without adequate notice.
BJP lawmakers criticized what they described as a "last-minute" change to the day's agenda, sparking protests that disrupted the session. All 28 BJP legislators staged a dramatic protest in the house, terming the NC-led government’s resolution as “anti-national". The lawmakers stormed into the well of the house, voicing their strong disagreement with the decision and calling it a "betrayal" of national interests.
Amid the uproar, BJP leader Sham Lal Sharma climbed onto a table in the well, accusing the National Conference of "manipulating" the sentiments of Jammu and Kashmir's people "since 1947". "Yesterday, you spoke a different language. Article 370 is final. This political gimmick won't work. From Sheikh Abdullah to Omar Abdullah, emotional blackmail has been routine," Sharma said, urging the Speaker to maintain independence and avoid siding with any political party.
BJP MLAs chanted "Jahan Huway Balidan Mukherji, woh Kashmir hamara hai" (The Kashmir where Mukherji was martyred is ours), “August 5 Zindabad,” and “Anti-national agenda nahi chalega” (Anti-national agenda won't prevail), along with chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Jai Shri Ram.”
Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma further alleged that the NC government intended to change the name of the historic Shankaracharya Hills to Takht-e-Sulaimani, calling it part of a "larger agenda" that BJP members vowed to resist. "We will not allow this,” BJP MLAs shouted.
Speaker Abdur Rahim Rather called the resolution to a vote, resulting in its passage by a majority. However, the persistent protests from BJP members forced the Speaker to adjourn the Assembly for 15 minutes to restore order.
The resolution addresses the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5, 2019, when the central government annulled Article 370 and reorganized the region into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The National Conference, in its Assembly election manifesto, committed to advocating for the restoration of statehood and the region's special status.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had indicated on day 1 of the maiden Assembly session that the treasury benches would table their resolution seeking special status. It was PDP's Waheed Ur Rehman Para, however, who stole the show on that day as he moved a resolution against the abrogation of Article 370.
J&K Govt Officially Restores November-December Academic Session
Meanwhile, in a move to bring back the November-December academic session, the Jammu and Kashmir government has instructed the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) to schedule examinations for classes 10th to 12th starting from February 2025, with the exams to be completed by the end of March.
The decision, aimed at restoring the academic calendar that had been disrupted in recent years, will impact students across Jammu and Kashmir. It also includes plans to align the exam schedules of classes 1st to 9th with the November-December session beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.
The order, issued by Suresh Kumar Gupta, Principal Secretary of the School Education Department, confirmed the reinstatement of the previous academic calendar. According to the order, the government has granted approval to reintroduce the November-December exam session for both the Kashmir region and the winter zone of Jammu region.
"Following the decision of the Council of Ministers, approval has been granted to restore the previous academic calendar (November-December session) for the Kashmir region and the winter zone of Jammu," Gupta said in the order.
The order further specified that, for the 2024-25 academic session, the restored calendar will apply to classes 1st through 9th, with exams set to take place in November and December 2024. For higher secondary classes (10th to 12th), the November-December session will be fully restored starting from the 2025-26 academic session, according to the directive.
To address the current academic year, JKBOSE has been tasked with ensuring that the exams for classes 10th to 12th commence on February 15, 2025, and conclude by the end of March 2025.
In a related development, the government also mandated that the annual examination (summative assessment) for class 8th students will be conducted by their respective schools starting from the 2024-25 academic session onward.
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