Jammu, Feb 4: The J&K Legislative Assembly was adjourned for 15 minutes on Wednesday following uproar over remarks made by Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma on the “Pir Panchal” region a day earlier outside the Legislature.
Several members demanded an apology from the LoP for his statement that there is “no Pir Panchal region.” BJP MLAs countered the demand, asserting that Jammu is one region and rejecting the reference to Pir Panchal as a separate region.
National Conference MLA Aijaz Jan opposed the BJP’s stance, calling the remarks an insult to the people of Pir Panchal and insisting that the LoP apologise. This led to heated exchanges, with BJP MLAs on one side and NC and Congress MLAs on the other raising slogans.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, along with other NC MLAs, joined the protest and also sought an apology from the LoP, saying the people of the Pir Panchal region had made significant sacrifices. Transport Minister Satish Sharma echoed the demand.
As the situation escalated and some MLAs from the NC and BJP nearly came to blows near the well of the House, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes at 11.17 am.
Before the adjournment, slogans such as “Pir Panchal Zindabad,” “Jammu Zindabad,” “Jammu Kashmir Zindabad,” “Vande Mataram,” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” echoed across the House from both sides.
The Deputy Chief Minister also joined the sloganeering, urging members to raise the slogan “Hindustan Zindabad.” The House resumed proceedings at 11.52 am. (Agencies)
