Jammu, Feb 4: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Wednesday adjourned the House for 15 minutes following an uproar over reported remarks of Leader of Opposition (LoP) that Pir Panjal does not exist.
The ruckus started shortly at the end of the Question Hour with Congress legislator Iftikhar Ahmad demanding an apology from BJP leader Sunil Sharma over the remarks during an interview with a portal.
Several legislators, including independents, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and minister Satish Sharma, joined Ahmed to raise the demand, which was strongly opposed by BJP legislators.
Speaker Rather tried to pacify the angry legislators but many of them tried to move towards the Well of the House and came face-to-face. Later, he adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
Talking to reporters outside the Assembly, Congress MLA said that unless the LoP does not tender an apology, they will not allow the House to run. “He has disrespected the people of Pir Panjal,” he said, referring to the Poonch and Rajpuri districts.
He said the people of Pir Panjal have laid down their lives while defending the borders and he has “insulted the martyrs” of Pir Panchal.
National Conference MLA Aijaz Jan also demanded an apology from the LoP on the Floor of the House. “He has hurt the people. We will be on protests till he apologises. We will not tolerate insult to those people defending the borders of this country,” he said. (Agencies)
