There was a tremendous uproar in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Thursday over the withdrawal of Article 370. The uproar in the House began when Khurshid Ahmed Sheikh, brother of Engineer Rashid, Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla, waved a banner proclaiming the article 370 in the Assembly. After his action, a heated argument broke out between the opposition and the ruling party MLAs present in the House, which soon turned into a physical clash.
The debate in the Assembly began on the issue of Article 370, which was considered a provision of the Constitution granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders strongly condemned Khurshid Ahmed Shaikh’s display of the banner and termed it as contrary to the dignity of the House. BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Sunil Sharma expressed strong opposition to this action and said that this step had been taken to create chaos in the House.
The dispute between the opposition MLAs and the ruling party escalated into a brawl. Both sides started shouting slogans at each other and the atmosphere became very heated. To manage the situation, the Marshal of the Assembly had to come to the rescue. Despite the marshal’s presence, the situation could not be controlled for long. Due to this agitation, the assembly had to be suspended for some time. After this, there was peace in the House for some time, but the uproar and debate had an impact on the day’s debates.
It is noteworthy that after the abolition of Article 370, political and legal disputes have continuously arisen over the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. There has been deep resentment over this issue in the state, especially among opposition parties, who oppose this decision. The brouhaha in the House clearly shows that both politics and emotions run deep in this sensitive issue in Jammu and Kashmir, and any resolution or statement related to it is bound to generate controversy.
