Srinagar, Sep 30: Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Wednesday sought to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) no-confidence motion against him within the bounds of parliamentary disagreement. He said the opposition members were his friends and not enemies and would have an opportunity to point out his faults when the motion is taken up for discussion.
“BJP has to highlight my faults when discussion on their vote of no-confidence motion will be taken up. They are my friends, not enemies,” Rather told reporters after the conclusion of the autumn session.
The BJP moved the motion on September 28, seeking Rather’s removal from the Speaker’s post. The notice was submitted by BJP MLA R S Pathania on behalf of party legislators amid a confrontation over the conduct of proceedings and the House’s handling of the statehood resolution.
According to the notice, the BJP invoked Section 19(2)(c) of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, read with Rule 215 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Assembly. The BJP alleged “constitutional transgression” and disregard of the binding constitutional position, and questioned whether the Speaker had discharged his responsibilities impartially.
The move came after BJP members objected to the statehood resolution moved by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, particularly its references to the 2000 autonomy resolution and earlier resolutions on special status. The protests spilled into Question Hour, with BJP members entering the Well and demanding that Rather vacate the Chair while the removal motion was pending.
The BJP also questioned Rather’s continuation in the Chair after the motion was submitted, arguing that he should not preside over proceedings while a resolution seeking his removal was before the House.
Rather, however, maintained that the motion would be dealt with according to the prescribed Assembly procedure. Reports from the proceedings said he cited the mandatory 14-day notice period before such a motion could be taken up.
The procedural disagreement added another layer to an already tense session, with the Speaker and BJP members repeatedly clashing over the conduct of House business. The BJP’s motion effectively placed the functioning of the Chair itself on the Assembly’s political agenda.
The issue, however, did not come up for substantive discussion during the autumn session. With the prescribed process still to run its course, the motion is expected to be taken up at a later stage, when BJP members will have the opportunity to put their objections on record, and the Speaker’s conduct can be debated in the House.
Rather’s remarks on Wednesday came as the session ended on a comparatively peaceful note after several stormy sittings. His message was that the political challenge posed by the motion should be treated as part of legislative proceedings rather than a personal dispute.
“They are my friends, not enemies,” Rather said, signalling that despite the sharp confrontation between the Chair and the opposition during the session, he viewed the forthcoming debate as a parliamentary contest over his functioning as Speaker.
