Jammu: The Speaker Kavinder Gupta ordered expunging of his remarks on Rohingiya Muslims that lead to bedlam in legislative assembly.
As the House assembled again after adjournment for 15 minutes, Mohammad Yousaf Tarigami and Davinder Singh Rana condemned the militant attack in Sunjwan and underlined that no word should go outside House that shows the members divided.
“With such statements situation will get deteriorated. We should expunge the words used in the House,” Davinder Rana, the senior National Conference leader, said.
Revenue Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri said the Speaker should not have attributed the attack to Rohingiya Muslims. “We should not jump to the conclusion when the investigation is still on,” he said, adding, “Jammu and Kashmir is a secular state.”
Following this, Speaker expunged the words and the House has resumed normal working
Earlier, as soon as the House assembled for day’s proceedings, the ruling BJP members shouted anti-Pakistan slogans and blamed Islamabad for the pre-dawn attack on army camp also housing their families.
Amid BJP sloganeering, Speaker Kavinder Gupta said the attack took place because the Rohingiya Muslims are residing near the camp in Sujwan Jammu.
The remarks by the speaker triggered protests by the opposition as members of National Conference including Akbar Lone, Abdul Majeed Larmi, Altaf Kaloo and others from Congress stormed inside the Well and asked the speaker to apologise for his comments on Rohingiyas. The BJP members kept on shouting anti-Pakistan slogans and former speaker and NC legislator from Sonawari constituency, Akhbar Lone reacted by shouting Pakistan ‘Zindabad’. Amid ruckus, the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes. Later talking to the reporters outside, Lone said “slogans” does not matter as they do not bring any solution. He also refused to retract his “reaction.”
