Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Adjourned Amid Uproar Over Waqf Act
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday witnessed a massive uproar after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather denied an adjournment motion on the Waqf Act, following which the House was adjourned. The drama unfolded when National Conference (NC) MLAs moved a motion to adjourn the Question Hour to discuss the Waqf Act, a move that was strongly opposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs.
The NC MLAs, led by Party’s Chief Spokesperson, Junaid Mattu, had demanded an adjournment motion to discuss the Waqf Act, which they claimed was being implemented in a biased manner. The party alleged that the Act was being used to “disempower” the Muslim community in the state. The NC MLAs also accused the BJP-led government of trying to “manipulate” the Waqf Act to further its own political agenda.
However, the BJP MLAs, led by Party’s State President, Ravinder Raina, protested the move and demanded that the Question Hour be held as scheduled. The BJP MLAs argued that the Waqf Act was a central legislation and the state government was only implementing it, and hence, there was no need to adjourn the House to discuss it.
The Speaker, Abdul Rahim Rather, denied the adjournment motion and asked the NC MLAs to raise the issue during the Question Hour. However, the NC MLAs refused to back down and continued to protest, leading to a heated exchange with the Speaker.
The situation soon became uncontrollable, with both sides shouting slogans and trying to outdo each other. The security personnel in the House had to intervene to maintain order, and eventually, the Speaker had to adjourn the House for the day.
The Adjournment motion on the Waqf Act has been a contentious issue in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for some time now. The NC MLAs have been demanding that the state government implement the Waqf Act in a fair and transparent manner, and that it should not be used to benefit any particular community.
The BJP, on the other hand, has been accusing the NC of trying to politicize the issue and create communal tensions in the state. The Party has been saying that the Waqf Act is a central legislation and the state government is only implementing it, and hence, there is no need to adjourn the House to discuss it.
The Waqf Act was passed by the Centre in 1995 to provide for the management of Wakf properties, which are considered sacred by Muslims. The Act was amended in 2013 to give more powers to the Waqf Board to manage the properties.
The controversy surrounding the Waqf Act in Jammu and Kashmir has been ongoing for several years, with both the NC and the BJP accusing each other of trying to politicize the issue. The situation has become even more contentious in recent times, with the BJP accusing the NC of trying to create communal tensions in the state.
The adjournment of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday has once again highlighted the deep divisions between the two main political parties in the state. The issue is unlikely to die down soon, and it remains to be seen how the state government and the Centre will handle the situation in the coming days.
