Srinagar, Sep 30: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Sunil Sharma on Wednesday termed the autumn session of the House “unfortunate”, accusing the Omar Abdullah-led government of failing to address the issues raised by legislators and people across Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a press conference here after the conclusion of the Assembly session, Sharma said every section of society had entered the session with expectations that its elected representatives would make the government accountable and that some relief or “good news” would emerge from the House.
“Every segment of society had some expectations from the Assembly and the government. There was a hope that MLAs would make the government accountable, but the government miserably failed at a time when every segment was waiting for good news from the session,” he said.
Sharma said the BJP had collected issues from people before the session, including those concerning daily wagers, daily-rated workers, NHM employees, NYCs, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, besides day-to-day issues from different districts.
“We had collected issues from people on the first day of the session, but the government did not answer a single question. That is why I term this seven-day session as unfortunate,” he said.
Taking exception to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s description of the session as fruitful, Sharma asked what, according to him, had made the session fruitful.
The LoP also attacked the government over the resolution seeking restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, alleging that references to autonomy and Article 370 had been brought into the resolution to dilute what the BJP described as the statehood agenda.
“By adding autonomy and Article 370, you tried to sabotage the BJP’s statehood agenda. Who gave you the right to connect 1953 with statehood?” Sharma said.
He argued that the constitutional changes of 2019 had ended the earlier arrangement and questioned the inclusion of references to the pre-1953 period in the Assembly resolution.
Sharma also questioned the Congress over its support to the resolution, asking how the party could support a resolution which, according to him, went beyond a demand for restoration of statehood.
“I want to ask Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge how his party supported what we consider an unconstitutional resolution in the J&K Assembly,” he said.
The BJP leader also questioned Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather’s decision to allow the resolution to be taken up, saying the party had moved a motion seeking his removal and that the Speaker should step down on moral grounds.
The issue has already deepened the confrontation between the BJP and the Chair, with the no-confidence/removal motion against Rather now awaiting consideration under the Assembly’s prescribed procedure.
Sharma said the BJP had also prepared a dossier titled “Promises vs Performance”, which, he said, documented the commitments made by the National Conference government and the issues on which the party believes the government had failed to deliver.
“We have prepared a dossier titled ‘Promises vs Performance’. We will submit it to the government. We have highlighted every unfulfilled promise,” he said.
The dossier, according to Sharma, would cover issues ranging from employment and public services to healthcare and other areas of governance. He cited what he described as a shortage of around 13,000 doctors and paramedics as one of the issues highlighted in the document.
“This dossier will expose the NC government,” he said.
Sharma also sought to portray differences expressed by some members of the treasury benches during the session as evidence of dissatisfaction within the ruling side, alleging that the government had failed to meet expectations even among its own legislators.
He further alleged that the Chief Secretary and Law Secretary had raised objections to the statehood resolution, a claim that would require confirmation from the relevant official records.
Sharma also accused the Chief Minister of violating the oath of secrecy by referring publicly to what legislators had told him.
“The Chief Minister has taken the oath of secrecy, which means he should not disclose what MLAs tell him. He makes assertions in the House about what MLAs tell him. He has breached the oath of secrecy,” Sharma alleged.
Turning to the security situation, Sharma said the killing of a foreign terrorist in Budgam reflected what he described as a change in the character of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said terrorism was “on its death bed” and claimed that while local youth had earlier been drawn into militancy, that trend was no longer visible in the same manner, with security forces now targeting foreign terrorists.
“Very soon the remaining terrorism will also be crushed,” he said.
In a broader political attack on the Chief Minister, Sharma alleged that Omar Abdullah had followed the political line associated with his grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah, and claimed that it would fail.
“Omar has toed his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah’s line, destined to fail,” the LoP said.
