Opposition Questions J&K Government Over Short Assembly Session, Abdullah Counters With BJP’s Own Record

Srinagar: Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Jammu and Kashmir government, demanding that the upcoming Assembly session be extended to nearly 30 days instead of the proposed seven sittings, arguing that legislators need adequate time to raise public issues and grievances.

Addressing reporters at the BJP headquarters, Sharma said the Assembly was the “principal forum” for people’s voices but alleged that the government had eroded its accountability. “Unfortunately, the Assembly has been made a joke.

Legislative responsibility has almost disappeared,” he said. He further criticised Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, saying the chair was expected to function impartially but had failed to uphold that role.

However, Sharma’s criticism was not limited to the session’s duration. He accused the government of failing to provide routine governance over the past two years, alleging that ministers had no public outreach and corruption was rampant.

“From ordinary officials to ministers, corruption is rampant. People are reluctant to visit government offices because the burden of corruption is placed on their pockets,” he said.

 Sharma objected to the proposed schedule, pointing out that two sittings were reserved for obituary references and “business, if any,” leaving only five effective sittings.

“By limiting the session, the government is mocking the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. He appealed to the Speaker to reconsider and extend the session, stressing that the Opposition had a duty to highlight public concerns.

BJP legislature party, Sharma announced, would also begin outreach across districts to hear grievances directly.

“Every district headquarters, we will go there and meet the common people across party lines and understand their issues,” he said.

Responding to remarks from Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday defended the government’s decision to convene a seven-day Assembly session, rejecting allegations of “non-seriousness” in governance.

“The session has been called for seven days. What is non-seriousness in this?” Abdullah asked, adding, “Non-seriousness would be if we followed the path shown by the BJP, where they have called one- or two-day sessions in their states. These are the people who never even come before Parliament, who are hardly seen in Parliament,”.

Abdullah’s counter came after Sharma accused the government of undermining legislative accountability by restricting the Assembly to only seven sittings. Sharma had demanded a 30-day session, arguing that legislators needed more time to raise public grievances.

However, Abdullah maintained that the government’s schedule was reasonable and accused the BJP of hypocrisy. “The Opposition should look at its own record before questioning ours,” he said.