Ruckus in J&K assembly mars Governor's address

Pandemonium marred Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra's opening address to a joint session of the assembly here as the opposition raised slogans against the "failure on all fronts" of the PDP-BJP state government and staged a walkout.

As Vohra started his address to begin the Budget session, members of the National Conference and Congress stood up shouting slogans against the Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government.

They shouted "PDP-BJP Hai Hai' and obstructed Vohra's speech before walking out of the House. Vohra later delivered his address to the bicameral House.

The legislature was scheduled to take up obituary references to former members who passed away since it met the last time.

Earlier, Tassaduq Hussain Mufti, brother of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, was sworn in as a member of the state Legislative Council, the Upper House.

Tassaduq Mufti has already been inducted into the state cabinet and he has been assigned the Tourism portfolio.

Speaking to the media after staging a walkout from the legislature, Ali Muhammad Sagar, legislator and senior NC leader said: "We have walked out of the session against the failure of the state government.

"State government has failed on every front. Today's protest has been staged to tell the government that it has failed in giving even basic amenities to people."

Both the NC and Congress legislators staged a sit-in outside the legislature after walking out of the House.

--IANS

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