The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly is scheduled to commence a seven-day Autumn session in Srinagar on Monday. The session is expected to be dominated by opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who plan to challenge the ruling National Conference government on a range of issues.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the opposition intends to focus its agenda on perceived failures of the government, particularly concerning employment generation, alleged corruption in public offices, and the delay in holding local body elections. The government, meanwhile, is preparing its strategy for the legislative proceedings.
Members of the National Conference Legislative Party, along with supporting Independent legislators, are slated to meet on Sunday to strategize the treasury benches’ approach to the upcoming debates. The legislature party meeting will be presided over by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, who is not a member of the Assembly.
The BJP has indicated its intention to corner the government, asserting that the National Conference administration has been unsuccessful across all fronts. Key issues expected to be raised by BJP legislators include the outsourcing of government jobs, which the party claims exacerbates unemployment, and concerns over corruption. They also plan to address the prolonged delay in the conduct of Panchayat and urban local bodies’ polls, viewing it as a failure to decentralize power. Furthermore, the party intends to question the recent increase in electricity tariffs and the administration’s progress in fulfilling electoral promises made to the public.
Similarly, the PDP has outlined its legislative agenda, which prioritizes the critical issue of unemployment among the youth. The party also intends to scrutinize the policy of outsourcing jobs and the current reservation policy. A significant point of contention for the PDP is expected to be the regularisation of daily wagers employed in government services, a demand that has been pending for a considerable period.
According to the provisional calendar released by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather, the session will commence on September 21 with obituary references. This will be followed by the introduction of government business on the subsequent day, September 22. The session will dedicate September 24 and September 28 to the discussion of private members’ bills. On September 25, the Assembly will deliberate on private members’ resolutions. The remaining days, September 29 and September 30, will be allocated for government business, allowing the administration to present its legislative proposals and address pressing matters of governance.
The Chenab Times News Desk