Congress members walk out of J&K assembly over law and order

The opposition Congress members on Wednesday walked out of the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly during its on-going session after the speaker turned down the party's adjournment motion to discuss law and order situation.

As the assembly started its day's sitting here, Congress members stood up at their seats, displaying placards that read "Stop innocent killings".

The members sought an adjournment of the normal proceedings so that the law and order situation in the state could be discussed in the house.

Speaker Kavinder Gupta said he would look into the adjournment motion later, but this did not satisfy the Congress members who walked out of the house shouting slogans that innocent people were being killed due to border firing in the state.

CPI-M member Yusuf Tarigami and Hakim Yaseen, Independent, requested the speaker to revoke the suspension of two National Conference members so that the opposition could play its role in the house.

Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed also requested the speaker to look into the suspension order, saying the opposition has a role to play and the assembly is for debate on issues since democracy is all about a battle of ideas.

Meanwhile, Independent member Engineer Rashid jumped into the well of the house, accusing the speaker of bias.

He also said it has become a case of tacit understanding between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference to share power by turns in the state.

The Independent member almost came to blows with a Bharatiya Janata Party member during the course of his accusations, but ruling PDP members requested the speaker to allow Engineer Rashid to have his say.

National Conference legislators, led by former chief minister and party leader Omar Abdullah, continued to protest the suspension of their legislators during a sit-in on the lawns of the state legislature complex here.