Opposition NC and Congress today boycotted the reply of the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on the governor's address accusing her of failing to give a statement in the Assembly on a civilian killing in south Kashmir and walked out of the House.
Independent MLA Engineer Rasheed, however, was in the Assembly and interrupted the speech of chief minister several times.
Earlier today, the Opposition National Conference and Congress walked out of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and Legislative Council alleging the state government's "failure" in stopping civilian killings and human rights violations.
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Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said in the Assembly that care was to be taken that the Kashmir issue was not highlighted as a religious one as diversity was the strength of the people of the state.
Replying to a debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address, the chief minister welcomed NC leader Farooq Abdullah's reported remarks that Prime Minister Narendra Modi commanding an absolute majority in the parliament could resolve the Kashmir issue.
She said this is what her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had said many a times.
Members of NC and Congress said that they hadboycotted the speech as the chief minister did not speak on the civilian killing issue.
"We raised the issue in the House over the civilian killing in south Kashmir yesterday. The chief minister should have come to the House and made a statement over this issue. But she will come to house later to give reply on governor's address. She should have come to the house as the issue was raised by opposition.
"So I will not listen to her address and will not be present in the house during the address", leader of opposition Omar Abdullah said in the Assembly as NC and Congress members continued to protest.
Soon Omar Abdullah and other NC and Congress members walked out. Later taking to reporters, Omar Abdullah said that they decided to keep away from the Assembly during address of CM Mehbooba Mufti to protest her failure to reply on the civilian killing.
He claimed that the security situation was deteriorating and the state government has failed on all fronts.
"We had called for a separate discussion on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Congress and NC members brought an adjournment motion for holding the discussion. They declined it," he said.
Omar Abdullah said that yesterday, a youth was killed in Homshalibugh and added that the opposition wanted a reply from the government.
"We wanted that the chief minister, who is also the home minister and head of the unified command, should come to house and reply. She did not come to house", he said.
She should have come and given assurance about measures taken to stop the killings, he said.
We were forced to take a decision that we will not take part in her reply to the governor's address, he said.
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