BJP Protests Disrupt Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Over Statehood and Speaker Removal

BJP legislators disrupted the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, entering the well and demanding Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather leave the chair after the party submitted a motion seeking his removal. Rather said Assembly rules require a 14-day wait before the no-confidence motion can be taken up. The protest also centered on a resolution seeking restoration of statehood: BJP Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma said the party supports statehood but opposes linking it to Jammu and Kashmir’s pre-1953 constitutional status or the Assembly’s 2000 autonomy resolution. The dispute prompted slogans and sharp exchanges as the House debated the resolution.
During the disruption, BJP members threw papers toward the Speaker’s chair, while Assembly marshals tried to maintain order.
Sunil Sharma said differences between the treasury and opposition benches should not prevent a meaningful discussion on issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir, and said the BJP was prepared for a positive debate on statehood.
The Assembly’s 2000 autonomy resolution, passed during Farooq Abdullah’s government, sought greater autonomy based on Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional position before August 9, 1953.
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