With pre budget consultations of Chief Minister with all stakeholders having concluded on a positive note followed by All Party Meeting convened by the Speaker A R Rather, all is set for the budget session of J&K Assembly beginning on February 2. The Speaker has sought cooperation of all parties and coordination in the House to enable the smooth running of proceedings.
The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly is set to convene its fifth session on February 2, with several legislative and political issues expected to come up during the proceedings. The session this time shall be seen split in two parts on account of holy month of Ramzan commencing in mid February.
The session assumes significance as it comes amid growing focus on procedural and statutory matters pending in the House, including the continued vacancy of the post of Deputy Speaker. The position has remained unfilled since the constitution of the Assembly, despite statutory provisions under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 requiring the election of both a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker.
The Assembly has so far held four sessions since its formation. While Abdul Rahim Rather was unanimously elected Speaker during the first session in November 2023, no steps have been initiated to elect a Deputy Speaker.Under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the J&K Legislative Assembly, the election of the Deputy Speaker is to be held on a date fixed by the Speaker, following a motion moved in the House. However, the process has to be initiated by the government.
Political observers say the delay in filling the post has raised questions over the functioning of the House, particularly in the absence of a presiding authority when the Speaker is unavailable. As for the mode of business scheduled, most of the days during the session shall have two sittings in order to accomodate the issues to be raised by the MLAs.
The fifth session is also expected to witness discussions on governance, development and other issues concerning the Union Territory.Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Friday chaired a joint meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) and all-party representatives here, emphasising coordination among parties for a result-oriented session.
The committee included key members from various political parties, such as Ali Mohammad Sagar and Mubarik Gul (NC), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami (CPIM), Surjit Singh Slathia (BJP), Gulam Ahmad Mir (Congress), Mir Mohammad Fayaz (PDP) and Choudhary Mohammad Akram (Independent).
The speaker said it is obligatory on the part of each and every Member of the House, irrespective of his or her party affiliation, to ensure the smooth functioning of the House. He stressed that Members should represent their constituencies in the House sincerely by raising the important public issues and highlighting the problems being faced by them for the sake of their redressal by the government.
Rather said the members should carry out healthy debates and discussions, which is the essence of democracy. At the same time, they should strictly keep the discipline and should not encourage any disorder and disruption that reflects upon the dignity of the House.
He said the proceedings are watched by the people, and any irresponsible behaviour will send a wrong signal to them, and as such, they have to behave as role models for the whole society.
The Speaker emphasised that the members should not disrupt the Question Hour, which is considered the most important tool for raising important public issues besides making the government answerable and accountable to the people.He urged that party leaders should ensure that the Question Hour runs smoothly, so that the problems of the people could be raised on the floor of the House and the maximum number of questions are taken up for oral answers.The members also gave their suggestions for making the current Assembly Budget session more fruitful and result-oriented in the largest interest of the general public.
Follow us
