JAMMU, FEB 28: The National Conference (NC) and the Congress have scheduled separate legislature party meetings in Jammu on March 2, a day before the first budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in seven years.
The 40-day session, comprising 22 sittings, is set to commence on March 3 with the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s address. The session is expected to be stormy, with the Peoples Conference reportedly moving a resolution condemning the abrogation of Article 370 and seeking restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s pre-August 2019 constitutional status.
On February 27, Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather chaired an all-party meeting, urging legislators to cooperate in ensuring a productive session. This marks the first budget session of the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government since it assumed power in October last year, ending six years of central rule. The last budget session was held in 2018 during the PDP-BJP government in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
NC chief whip Mubarak Gul has convened a meeting at the official residence of Chief Minister and party vice president Omar Abdullah, who will preside over discussions on the party’s strategy for the session. Congress chief whip Nizam-ud-Din Bhat has also called for a meeting of party legislators at the party headquarters in Jammu.
Although the Congress contested the assembly elections in alliance with the NC, it has not joined the government, maintaining that it will wait until Jammu and Kashmir is restored to full statehood. However, the Congress has affirmed its support for the government.
The NC holds 42 seats in the 90-member house and has the backing of the CPI(M), which has one seat, along with six independent legislators.
Speaker Rather emphasized the significance of the budget session for policy discussions and financial planning, calling on all members to maintain decorum and engage in meaningful debates. Earlier, he had warned against the premature publicity of house business notices by opposition parties, calling it a breach of privilege.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti criticized Rather’s stance, accusing him of imposing restrictions on legislative functioning. In a related development, Mufti has written to Omar Abdullah and other party leaders, seeking their support for three private member bills. These bills propose regularization of residents on public land, provisions for temporary workers, and prohibition of alcohol in Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the BJP has warned against any “unconstitutional, undemocratic, or anti-national agenda” during the session.
