Ruling People’s Democratic Party legislators on Wednesday objected to the absence of Opposition National Conference in the Lower House and demanded that the grants on Industries and Commerce be passed without discussion. The PDP legislators said that when the Opposition, meant to oppose and criticize the government, is not present in the House then the grants should be passed.“There are no members of NC in the House. Those who have to oppose are absent. Then we suggest the grants be passed without discussion,” PDP MLA from Amirakadal, Altaf Bukhari said.Among 15 Opposition MLAs, no legislator was in the House when the discussion on allocation of grants for industries and commerce were being discussed.Only MLA Habbakadal, Shamima Firdous, was present when she spoke on the discussion, but she left the House as soon as she ended her speech on the grants.Earlier, NC MLA from Eidgah, Mubarak Gul, spoke on the grants and left when he finished his speech.Of the 12 Opposition Congress MLAs, only three were present during the discussion. MLAs Aijaz Khan and Congress Legislative party leader and MLA Leh Nawang Rigzin Jora spoke on the discussion on grants. But Jora too left the House.
When Peoples Conference MLA from Kupwara, Bashir Ahmad Dar, spoke on the grants, he first mentioned the absence of NC legislators.“Who will we address to? No member from main opposition party is in the House,” Dar said.PDP MLA from Noorabad, Abdul Majeed Padder rose from the Treasury Benches and objected to the opposition’s absence from the House.“What is the use to discuss the allocation on grants, when the Opposition is not in the House? Let’s pass the grants without discussion,” Padder said.To this Congress MLA from Gool-Arnas, Aijaz Ahmad Khan, said that the Congress Legislators have no objection if the grants are passed without discussion.Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmad Gurezi, who was chairing the House at the beginning of the discussion, informed the House that the Opposition has told him they will walk out of the House to protest the absence of ministers in the House during the proceedings.Later, when the discussion was over and minister for Industries and Commerce Chandra Prakash Ganga was relying on the discussion to pass the grants, some of the opposition members attended the proceedings. (KNS)