Day 1 of J&K Assembly: Chaos reigns as PDP pushes to restore Article 370

Being held for the first time in six years, the inaugural session of the newly-elected Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir began with an uproar on Monday when a leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) sought to restore Article 370, leading to disorder in the House.

 

Waheed Para, a leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and representative of the Pulwama constituency, tabled a resolution that opposed the abrogation of Article 370 and sought to restore the region's special status. This ensued an uproar in the House.

 

The situation escalated as members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded that the remarks be expunged and the resolution be rejected.

 

On the other hand, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti praised Para for his initiative. In a post on X, she said, “Proud of Waheed Parra for introducing a resolution in the JK Assembly opposing the revocation of Article 370 and resolving to restore the special status. God bless you.”

 

 

However, Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah contended that the resolution was introduced merely for show and lacked genuine intent. He remarked that if there had been a true purpose behind the resolution, discussions should have taken place with the National Conference beforehand. 

 

“We were aware that preparations for this were being made by a member. The reality is that the people of Jammu and Kashmir do not support the decision taken on August 5, 2019. If they had, the results today would have been different. The House will not be directed by any single member. The resolution brought forth today holds no significance and is merely for the cameras. Had there been a genuine purpose, discussions would have occurred with us prior to this,” Abdullah stated while addressing the assembly.

 

Article 370: Political context 

 

The restoration of Article 370, along with the re-establishment of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and the implementation of the autonomy resolution, were key pledges made by the National Conference in its election manifesto.

 

On Sunday evening, the National Conference convened a meeting with its legislative party and alliance partners, including Congress MLAs, in Srinagar. Jammu and Kashmir Congress President Tariq Hamid Karra commented on the meeting, describing it as introductory and noting, “We had a little discussion. In the Assembly session tomorrow (November 4), the Speaker will be elected. There will also be the LG's address. We will see what unfolds.”

 

The first session of the new Assembly is set to conclude on November 8. In addition to the Lieutenant Governor's address, there will be obituary references for former legislators who passed away since the last session of the previous Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on November 5.

 

In the most recent Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, the Congress-National Conference alliance secured 49 out of 90 seats, while the BJP won 29 seats. These elections took place after a decade-long gap and followed the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on September 16.