Srinagar, Sep 28: The opposition BJP members on Monday moved a motion for removal of the J&K Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather.
As the proceedings commenced in the House, BJP legislator R S Pathania stood up and informed the House that his party had moved a motion for the removal of the Assembly Speaker.
He said the motion was introduced because the Speaker had earlier allowed the resolution brought by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah demanding full statehood restoration.
The BJP said the resolution was allowed by the Speaker in contravention of the rules.
“You are the custodian of the House but you allowed the resolution of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in violation of the rules,” he told the Speaker.
Amid this, various ruling party members including AAP MLA Mehraj Malik intervened and asked the Speaker to start the Question Hour.
However the Speaker did not allow them to speak and asked them to take their seats.
“Don’t interrupt. Let him (Pathania) speak because he has to make a point,” the Speaker told the ruling party members. Meanwhile, Pathania, citing Rule 215(2), stated that 23 MLAs supported the motion.
“You cannot conduct the proceedings. Someone else will have to. There are three precedents in Parliament where the Speaker of the Lok Sabha stepped down until the motion was decided,” he said.
To this, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather informed the House that the motion would be listed for business after 14 days.
“You are a good lawyer. You can bring a motion. I have not seen it yet. If you read Rule 215, the procedure to be followed is laid down in the rules,” he said.
The Speaker said that a motion should be entered in the list of business any day after 14 days of submission.
“The precedent of Balram Jhakar and others exists, but that was after the leave was granted by the House,” he said.
The Speaker said the same does not apply in J&K Assembly.
“You are a practicing lawyer but it is unfortunate that you have not read the rules properly,” he asked Pathania with the request to sit down no his seat.
However, the BJP MLAs reacted to it and took to their feet as Speaker called for the Question Hour.
“The House is working against the doctrine of separation of powers and going against the Supreme Court and the Constitution of India,” Pathania told the House.
Pathania was backed by other BJP MLAs including Balwant Mankotia, who accused the treasury benches of supporting separatism in Jammu and Kashmir.
The BJP members raising slogans, “Kursi chodo, kursi chodo, Speaker sahab kursi chodo.”
