The five-day inaugural session of Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly, beginning on November 4, is expected to be stormy with a divided opposition set to corner the National Conference-led government on a host of issues including the promises made in the ruling party’s manifesto.
The first session of Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly will begin on November 4 with the election of the Speaker at 10:30 AM. As already reported, NC’s veteran leader and former Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather is set to become the Speaker as the ruling combine enjoys support of 55 members in the House.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has 29 members in the House, is unlikely to contest for post of the Speaker given that the ruling party is likely to concede Deputy Speaker’s post to it.
After the conclusion of election of the Speaker, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will address the House on the same day at 11: 30 AM. The LG’s address will set the tone for discussions in the House.
As per provisional calendar issued by the Legislative Assembly, a copy of which is in possession of news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), obituary references for former MLAs who passed away since the last session of the erstwhile assembly will be read out in the House on November 5.
On November 6 and 7, there will be a discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the LG’s address.
The discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the LG’s address would continue on November 8 when the ruling combine would give its reply to address the opposition’s concerns.
During the session, the opposition parties are likely to corner the ruling National Conference party on a number of issues, especially the commitments made in their election manifesto.
All eyes would be on whether the National Conference-led government would bring a resolution against the scrapping of Article 370 and the downgrading of J&K to a Union Territory.
In its election manifesto, the NC promised that the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, in its first list of business after elections, will pass a resolution against the Union Government’s decision to strip the region of its statehood and special status.
It also promised the restoration of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood as well as implementation of the autonomy resolution passed by the erstwhile assembly in 2000.
Free 200 units of electricity, relief from power and water crisis, transfer of hydro-electric power projects to Jammu and Kashmir and providing 12 LPG cylinders to the economically weaker sections each year for free are among the other promises made by the party in its election document—(KNO)
