The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Saturday witnessed chaotic scenes after PDP MLA Waheed Parra and Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo exchanged heated barbs during the proceedings. The verbal duel erupted shortly after the Speaker opened the House for debate.
Sakina Itoo, usually known for her calm demeanour, blamed the PDP for the current political and administrative challenges in the Union Territory. “We have no power because there is no statehood due to your party,” she said.
She held the PDP responsible for the fallout following the abrogation of Article 370 and the governance issues that have since affected the region.
Taking a swipe at the opposition’s style of protest, the minister said her government believes in “action, not drama,” in an apparent reference to frequent disruptions in the House.
A day earlier, NC legislator Tanvir Sadiq had criticised a land reforms bill introduced by PDP leader Waheed Parra, saying it favoured people from his own constituency in Pulwama while ignoring the wider population.
In an indirect jibe at Parra, Sadiq said one person cannot own everything and that every resident of Kashmir has a right over the resources of the Union Territory. He added that the National Conference rejected the proposal on two main grounds: it was not representative of the entire population and it excluded the poor.
Sadiq assured the House that the National Conference would fulfil all promises made in its manifesto, including providing five marlas of land to homeless and landless families, for which the government has already identified five lakh families.
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