J&K Assembly chaos: BJP storms over power tariffs, daily-wagers; NC pushes statehood

The BJP’s sustained disruption was met with an equally vigorous counter from National Conference and Congress lawmakers, who raised slogans demanding the restoration of statehood, turning the House into a theatre of competing political claims.

The autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly opened on Monday with chaotic scenes, bringing Question Hour to a virtual standstill as Bharatiya Janata Party legislators staged a noisy protest over power tariff hikes, erratic electricity supply and the long-pending demand for regularisation of daily-wagers and National Health Mission employees.

The BJP’s sustained disruption was met with an equally vigorous counter from National Conference and Congress lawmakers, who raised slogans demanding the restoration of statehood, turning the House into a theatre of competing political claims.

Proceedings began on a sombre note with the customary obituary references. However, as soon as the formalities concluded, BJP MLAs rose from their seats, unfurled placards and launched into a barrage of slogans.

“Jo Sarkar Na De Sakhe Bijli Pani, Woh Sarkar Nakami,” they chanted repeatedly, accusing the government of failing to ensure basic utilities. Parallel cries of “Insaf Karo, Daily-wagers Ke Sath” and “Insaf Karo, NHM Employees Ke Sath” filled the chamber as Opposition members demanded justice for contract and daily-wage workers and NHM staff who have been awaiting regularisation for years.

BJP legislators then abandoned their seats and stormed into the well of the House, intensifying the sloganeering with “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram”. Despite the din, ministers attempted to continue answering questions raised by other members, but the continuous interruptions rendered orderly debate impossible.

Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather repeatedly appealed to the protesting lawmakers to return to their seats and warned of possible action.

“Go to your seats,” he urged more than once.

The BJP members, however, remained in the well and insisted that their protest would not be formally recorded in the Assembly proceedings.

NC, Congress Hit Back With Statehood Slogans

The BJP’s agitation was swiftly countered by National Conference legislators, who were joined by Congress members and supported by the CPI(M). Raising the pitch further, NC MLAs demanded the immediate restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, accusing the BJP of diverting attention from its own unfulfilled promises.

The People’s Democratic Party added another layer to the political crossfire. PDP legislators alleged that the day’s events resembled a “friendly match” between the government and the BJP, designed to sideline more contentious issues such as reservation, an area in which the BJP, given its position in the central government, also has a stake.

Wahid Parra, PDP MLA, said, “The youth of Jammu and Kashmir had, for the first time, placed their hopes in this House. Again and again, the National Conference and the BJP are helping each other and bailing each other out, wasting the time of this House, the time of the people, and the time of the youth.

“Today, after one year, we thought that perhaps the people’s issues would finally be raised. For the past one-year, daily wagers have been protesting on the streets. You have also been seeing that every department is protesting here. NHM employees have been protesting for six months. Medical students and our interns are protesting. Students at the Agricultural University are protesting.

“There are protests by people from many different departments. Many young people are still facing cases; they have to keep going to court, and even today, some of our young people are in jails outside Jammu and Kashmir.

“So, we do not have the opportunity to waste even a single second of this Assembly, even if this is the weakest Assembly. It is still important that the issues of the people of Jammu and Kashmir are raised in this Assembly.”

BJP Defends Protest, Says Opposition Must Hold Government Accountable

BJP members dismissed the PDP’s charge, describing it as a habitual attempt by the party to stay in the headlines. They maintained that they had been raising public issues continuously and had been left with no option but to protest inside the Assembly when those concerns remained unaddressed.

Sunil Sharma, LoP BJP, said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party has been given the mandate to be the Opposition, and whenever governments fail to address the people’s issues and fail to deliver, then the primary duty of the Opposition is to become the voice of the poor and hold the government accountable.

“And in this context, on the first day of the autumn session today, the Bharatiya Janata Party demanded answers from the government. We became the voice of those sections of society who are on the streets today, who are waiting for governance, and whose expectations of governance have been disappointed on every front.”

NC Accuses BJP of Wasting House Time

Amid the sustained uproar, the Speaker eventually adjourned the House for the day. The abrupt end to the day’s business underscored the depth of the deadlock that marked the opening of the autumn session.

NC leaders alleged that the BJP, which was earlier complaining that the autumn session was very short, was now deliberately wasting the House’s time to mask its “incompetence” and prevent the government from focusing on genuine public grievances.

They specifically asked the BJP to explain what had become of the assurances on statehood that had been made earlier.

Tanveer Sadiq, MLA and Chief Spokesperson of the National Conference, said, “If opposition's job is to oppose, to talk about things, but if you look at today's disruption in house, I was looking at the question-answers, in that there are 11 BJP members, whose matters, whether it is power, whether it is drinking water, whether it is about roads were listed then you think yourself, those people who elected and sent them here, 11 questions they had but they completely disrupted the house.

“If they wanted an answer, then they would have definitely got the answer, the government was ready. Deputy chief minister was there, chief minister himself was in the house, and many ministers were sitting, who would have given answers.

“Disrupting the house is just to bring your face in the media, I feel that is wrong, that is an injustice to the people.”

Answering the PDP allegation, he said, “It's their habit, see, why didn't they rise? Why didn't they talk? Because they are so involved with the BJP that they just see this. Now who suffered the most loss? BJP's areas.”

Political Fault Lines Surface in Assembly

The protests reflect deeper political fault lines in the Union Territory’s legislature.

On one side, the BJP has sought to position itself as the voice of everyday concerns, power supply, tariff rationalisation and employment security for contractual workers. On the other, the National Conference and its allies have framed the disruption as a calculated attempt to obscure the larger constitutional question of statehood, which remains central to their political narrative.

The PDP’s intervention further complicated the picture, with the party alleging coordination between the government and the BJP to divert attention from other contentious issues.

As the session continues in the coming days, the Speaker’s ability to restore order and the willingness of parties to prioritise legislative business over competitive sloganeering will determine whether the autumn session can move beyond the tumultuous scenes that defined its first day.

For now, the images of MLAs in the well, competing choruses of “bijli-pani” and “statehood”, and an adjourned House have set a confrontational tone for the weeks ahead.

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