Cong questions delay in issuing notification abolishing J-K Legislative Council

The Congress on Friday questioned the delay in issuing the notification abolishing the Legislative Council under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, citing reports that constituency development fund was allegedly released partly in violation of law to "please BJP members".

The 62-year-old state Legislative Council came to an end with the state administration issuing orders for its abolition on Wednesday night and asking its 116-member staff to report to the general department.

"It (Legislative Council) constitutionally stood abolished on the day Article 370 (of the Constitution) was abrogated (on August 5) and the Constitution of India extended to the state as a whole.... Under which provision the house continued to exist till yesterday," Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said in a statement here.

He said although the abolition of the Legislative Council was "unfortunate" in view of its important role in the sensitive state, its continuation after the abrogation of Article 370 raised question mark as reports suggested that part of the constituency development fund was reportedly released contrary to law to "please BJP members" who were in the majority in the upper house.

Sharma said he had already raised this issue on September 6 but the state administration was silent till date.

The Congress leader said the Legislative Council had always played a very important role in the state and it should have been kept intact.

"The Assembly has been reduced to a powerless body while the upper house has been abolished without any reason," he said.

The Centre had on August 5 abrogated the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir for residency and government jobs, and divided the state into two Union territories.

Jammu and Kashmir will be a union territory with a state assembly.