J&K Speaker biased, Hindu fundamentalist, alleges MLA

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed ruckus on Wednesday in the aftermath of the Speaker, Kavinder Gupta, rejecting a resolution seeking return of mortal remains of Parliament attack convict Muhammad Afzal Guru.

As independent MLA Engineer Sheikh Abdur Rashid clashed with some ruling PDP-BJP coalition and Opposition National Conference (NC) leaders and then stormed the Well of the House in protest, Speaker asked him to be marshalled out.

Earlier, Mr Rashid had sought reply from the Speaker as to why his resolution demanding return of mortal remains of Guru to his family was dropped from the proceedings.

Later, the House again witnessed pandemonium when a National Conference member Javaid Rana allegedly called Speaker Mr Gupta a “Hindu fundamentalist”. On this the BJP members stormed the Speaker’s podium protesting against the unsavory remark. The NC members held counter protest, denying the charge.

Mr Rana, flanked by other NC members, raised slogans that RSS ideology will not be allowed in this House. “You have muzzled my voice. You do not allow us to speak. You have done injustice to me,” he said. Speaker told Mr Rana, “You have scolded me which cannot be tolerated.” At this, Rana hit out at PDP and alleged that they have “sold Kashmir to New Delhi”. This drew more protests from the ruling benches.

Speaking to media later, Mr Rana said he alleged in the House that Speaker is “biased as he carries forward the agenda of Hindutva. We will not allow the House to be run on the agenda of RSS and Nagpur.”

Refusing to apologise, he said he had “not said a ‘Hindu Speaker’ but a ‘Speaker working on Hindutva ideology’. “We won’t allow that ideology from Nagpur and Delhi to be dictated here. He gives more time to BJP,” he said.