BJP moves notice for J&K Assembly Speaker’s removal, says language used in statehood resolution ’unacceptable’

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Srinagar, Sep 28 (IANS) The proceedings of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly were disrupted on Monday as the BJP said it moved a notice seeking the removal of Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather from the post.

R.S. Pathania, BJP MLA from Udhampur East, told the Speaker that the BJP has served a notice seeking his removal from the post.

Pathania informed the Speaker in the House that the party has submitted a notice under the relevant rules for moving a resolution for the removal of the Speaker.

The Speaker, however, said the notice seeking his removal will have to be listed for a vote as per the procedure of the House, and cannot be taken up while the House is going through the Question Hour.

This agitated the BJP MLAs, who moved into the well of the House and raised slogans. The Speaker, however, decided to continue with the Question Hour as NC and Congress MLAs raised questions, which were answered by Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo and Rural Development Minister Javed Rana.

Leader of opposition (LoP) BJP’s Sunil Sharma made a short speech in the House saying that the party was committed to the restoration of statehood to J&K, but added that the language used by the NC in the resolution for restoration of statehood was against the spirit of the country’s constitution and, therefore, unacceptable to the BJP.

Sunil Sharma made it clear that the BJP is prepared to debate the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, but will oppose any discussion on Article 370, autonomy, or the pre-1953 position.

Sharma’s remarks come amid a political confrontation over Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s statehood resolution, which refers to earlier Assembly resolutions, including the 2000 Autonomy Resolution.

Speaking ahead of the Assembly proceedings, Sharma questioned why the 2000 resolution had been referred to in a resolution that seeks restoration of statehood. He said the BJP had rejected the autonomy resolution in the past and would not allow Article 370 or autonomy-related issues to be brought back for discussion.

Sharma also referred to his recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. According to reports, the meeting covered issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir, including the ongoing Assembly session.

The LoP has said the Centre’s position remains clear on issues that were settled after the abrogation of Article 370. The BJP leader also questioned references to the pre-1953 position, arguing that such issues cannot be reopened through the present statehood resolution.

At the same time, Sharma challenged the government to hold a full-fledged debate specifically on statehood, saying the BJP is ready to participate in such a discussion. He has also raised questions over the Speaker’s handling of resolutions in the House, alleging that controversial issues are being allowed to come up for discussion.

The issue has already triggered sharp exchanges inside the Assembly, with BJP MLAs protesting against the statehood resolution.

–IANS

sq/dpb

Related Posts

13.86 lakh registered allopathic doctors, 7.51 lakh practitioners in AYUSH system: Centre

New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) The government on Tuesday said that there are 13,86,150 registered allopathic doctors and 7,51,768 registered practitioners in the AYUSH system of medicine, contributing to an estimated doctor-population ratio of 1:811.

To date, there are a total of 74,306 Postgraduate seats and 1,18,190 MBBS seats in the country, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

“Assuming that 80 per cent of registered practitioners in both the allopathic and AYUSH systems are available, the doctor-population ratio in the country is estimated to be 1:811,” the minister said.

Among the measures taken by the government to increase the doctor/medical professional in the country include the centrally sponsored scheme for establishment of new medical college by upgrading district/referral hospital, under which 131 new medical colleges are already functional out of 157 approved medical colleges.

“Under the ‘Upgradation of Government Medical Colleges by construction of Super Specialty Blocks’ of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme, a total of 75 projects have been approved, of which 71 projects are complete, according to the minister.

Under the Central Sector Scheme for setting up of new AIIMS, 22 AIIMS have been approved, and undergraduate courses have been started in 19 of these.

“Family adoption programme has been incorporated into the MBBS curriculum to provide equitable healthcare access to the rural population and under the District Residency Programme of the National Medical Commission (NMC), second/third year PG students of medical colleges are posted in district hospitals,” said the minister.

Non-Monetary incentives such as preferential admission in postgraduate courses for staff serving in difficult areas and improving accommodation arrangement in rural areas have also been introduced under the NHM, while multi-skilling of doctors is supported under the NHM to overcome the shortage of specialists, she mentioned.

Skill upgradation of existing HR is another major strategy under NRHM for achieving improvement in health outcomes, she added.

–IANS

na/vd

No need for concern over increase in COVID-19 cases, says Telangana health department

Hyderabad, July 24 (IANS) The Health Department of Telangana has said that there is no need for concern over an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Dr B. Ravinder Nayak, Director of Public Health & Family Welfare, Telangana, said on Friday that the present increase in COVID-19 cases is a mild seasonal uptick, consistent with the trend observed during the same period last year.

There is no evidence of increased disease severity or the emergence of any new Variant of Concern, he said in a COVID-19 and seasonal influenza advisory.

The elderly and those with underlying health conditions are advised to follow basic health precautions and avoid poorly ventilated or crowded places. These measures are also appropriate for managing respiratory illnesses that are commonly seen during the current influenza season.

“In Telangana, we are continuously monitoring the COVID-19 situation in coordination with timely inputs from the Government of India. We are maintaining surveillance as per the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,” the Director of Public Health & Family Welfare said.

The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has informed that there is no need for concern over the current COVID-19 situation in the country, citing assessments carried out by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, and other expert agencies.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh is also witnessing a rise in COVID-19 cases.

Three cases each were reported from East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts, taking the total number of active cases in the state to 32. COVID-19 has so far claimed four lives in the state.

The Health Department has stepped up precautionary measures to tackle the rise in COVID cases. Officials said government hospitals were prepared to provide testing and treatment.

The department has also taken steps to ensure availability of testing kits, medicines, dedicated COVID-19 beds, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential medical supplies.

A total of 255 dedicated COVID-19 beds have been kept ready across 17 teaching hospitals. Secondary-level hospitals have also been asked to earmark isolation beds.

–IANS

ms/uk

Rajasthan High Court rejects bail plea of Independent candidate Naresh Meena

Jaipur, March 19 (IANS) The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of Independent candidate Naresh Meena, who is in judicial custody for slapping Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Amit Chaudhary during the Deoli-Uniyara Assembly by-election.

During the hearing, the Rajasthan government opposed Meena’s bail, arguing that such actions by a public representative set a negative precedent for the society.

In contrast, Meena’s lawyer downplayed the case as a minor offence and pleaded for bail.

However, after hearing both sides, Judge Anil Kumar Upvan denied the request.

The case was initially scheduled for hearing on March 12, but due to the judge’s busy schedule it was postponed.

A fresh date was set for March 19, but the court ultimately ruled against granting bail.

Advocate Lakhan Singh Meena said that the repeated postponements were due to the judge’s tight schedule.

The Deoli-Uniyara by-election was held on November 13, 2024.

Residents of Samravata village boycotted the election, demanding that their village be included in the Uniara sub-division office.

Supporting their protest, Naresh Meena staged a protest with the villagers.

However, tensions escalated when Meena accused SDM Amit Chaudhary of forcibly facilitating votes for three people.

During a heated exchange, Meena allegedly slapped the SDM.

The following day, on November 14, 2024, police arrested Naresh Meena from the protest site.

With his bail now rejected, Meena will remain in judicial custody as the case proceeds further.

Earlier on February 18, the Rajasthan High Court had granted bail to Naresh Meena for last year’s Assembly bypoll to the Deoli-Uniara constituency, in a case related to protesting and inciting a crowd outside the residence of former Minister Pramod Jain Bhaya.

Justice Sudesh Bansal’s bench approved his bail plea. However, despite securing bail in the mob incitement case, Naresh Meena would not be released from jail as the Rajasthan High Court had earlier rejected his bail plea on February 14 in connection with the violence in Samravata village.

He was arrested in the case of slapping an SDM, for which a separate bail hearing will be held on Tuesday.

During the hearing, the prosecution presented a previous High Court order rejecting Naresh Meena’s bail in the Samravata case, arguing that he had a criminal tendency and should not be granted bail.

However, the court dismissed this argument, stating that every case has different circumstances and facts.

The case dates back to September 2023, when Naresh Meena was accused of leading a protest outside Bhaya’s house and inciting the crowd. Despite this, the police did not arrest him for nearly one and a half years. However, after he filed an anticipatory bail plea, the police arrested him from jail on February 3.

Naresh Meena’s lawyer, Mahesh Sharma, argued that the case was politically motivated, with allegations based solely on claims of inciting public unrest.

–IANS

arc/khz