The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed repeated disruptions on Tuesday as members of the ruling National Conference and the opposition BJP clashed over multiple issues.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's remarks in the Assembly triggered protests from BJP legislators, who demanded an apology for what they described as "objectionable words".
Winding up the discussion on the Budget in the Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the Indo–US trade deal was detrimental to the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The Leader of the Opposition objected to the remarks, triggering a heated exchange between the two sides.
The Chief Minister said, "They themselves call it the Indo–US trade deal. If you translate it, 'deal' means 'sauda.'"
As BJP legislators continued their protest, the Chief Minister remarked that their attitude had changed and said it appeared that "inka Home Minister ke aate hi joote pade".
The remarks triggered fierce protests from BJP legislators, who demanded that the Chief Minister apologise for his comments.
"This is unparliamentary language. He should apologise for these remarks," BJP legislators shouted.
The Chief Minister continued his speech while BJP members attempted to disrupt the proceedings by raising slogans.
Later, the BJP escalated its protest against Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accusing him of using abusive and indecent language in the House. Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma said the BJP would not allow the Assembly to function until the Chief Minister apologised.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Sharma said the Chief Minister's remarks had lowered the dignity of the House. "This day will be written in black letters in the history of the state and will be remembered as a shameful day for the democratic process," he said.
Sharma alleged that National Conference leaders had repeatedly made statements sympathetic to separatists and terrorists, but claimed that the Chief Minister had crossed all limits of decorum on Tuesday. "No Chief Minister has ever behaved in this manner. He has disgraced the dignity of this House," Sharma said.
Addressing the media alongside BJP MLAs, Sharma said the Chief Minister should have focused on public issues and unfulfilled promises instead of resorting to abusive language. "We strongly condemn his words. Our MLAs will not allow the House to function until the Chief Minister tenders an unconditional apology and withdraws his remarks," he said, adding that the BJP's protest would continue on Wednesday.
Reacting to allegations that ruling party members used words such as "monkey" and "shoe" against BJP legislators, Sharma said such language reflected the culture of those using it. "It is unfortunate that the Constitution of the country is being challenged on the floor of the Assembly," he said, reiterating the demand for an unconditional apology from the Chief Minister.
Earlier, pandemonium broke out after remarks by BJP MLA R.S. Pathania on Article 370 and the Dogra rulers triggered a sharp face-off between members of the National Conference (NC), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Congress.
The trouble began when Pathania, while initiating the budget discussion, referred to Article 370 as a "purely temporary provision" that remained in force for nearly seven decades. He said several national leaders in the past, including Gulzari Lal Nanda and Chaudhary Charan Singh, had spoken in favour of abrogating the Article. Referring to former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, Pathania said the Congress leadership later chose to let the provision continue.
Pathania's remarks drew strong objections from Congress MLA Nizamuddin Bhatt, following which NC members also rose from their seats, leading to a heated exchange among members of the three parties. The Speaker intervened to restore order.
However, tensions resurfaced when Pathania, after being asked by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to confine his remarks to the Budget, spoke about the Dogra rulers' rule in Jammu and Kashmir. He alleged that the NC denies the historical existence of the Dogra rulers despite what he described as documentary and literary evidence.
NC members again protested, accusing Pathania of using objectionable language. During the commotion, sharp exchanges were also witnessed between BJP MLA Dr. Narendra Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chaudhary.
