J&K Assembly Adjourns Amidst Uproar Over Article 370

The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Assembly witnessed a tumultuous session on Thursday, as the House was adjourned until Friday following an uproar over the resolution passed on Wednesday seeking the restoration of Article 370. The resolution, which was passed by voice vote, has sparked a heated debate and led to a chaotic situation in the Assembly.

The  MLAs vehemently protested against the resolution, leading to a ruckus in the Assembly. Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary, PDS minister, Satish Sharma, and MLA Payare Lal Sharma countered the BJP's protest, stating, "You will never get a separate Jammu". The Speaker, Abdul Rahim Rather, was forced to adjourn the House until the next day as the Opposition refused to settle down. The BJP is demanding a rollback of the special status resolution brought by the government on Wednesday. The party argues that the passing of the resolution for the restoration of Article 370 is unconstitutional and illegal, given that the Article was abrogated by the country's Parliament and the action upheld by the  of .

The situation escalated further after BJP members voiced strong opinions on the Special Status once granted under Article 370 to J&K. The BJP MLAs have asserted that they will not allow the Assembly to function until the resolution is withdrawn. The resolution was moved by the Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary, and NC leader and minister, Sakina Masood seconded the move. The resolution was moved by the government on the third day of the Assembly's current session. The resolution stated, "This Assembly reaffirms the importance of the special and constitutional guarantees, which safeguarded the identity, culture, and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and expresses concern over the unilateral removal.

The resolution further called upon the Government of India to initiate dialogue with elected representatives of people of J&K for the restoration of special status, constitutional guarantees, and to work out the constitutional mechanisms for restoring these provisions. It emphasized that any process for restoration must safeguard both national unity and the legitimate aspirations of the people of J&K. The move evoked strong opposition and uproar from BJP leader, Sunil Sharma, who said amid the din in the House, "When business was about discussion on  's address, how was this resolution moved." Independent MLAs, Sheikh Khurshid Ahmed, Shabir Ahmad, Sajad Lone of the PC, and three MLAs of the PDP supported the resolution.

Speaker Rather put the motion to vote and it was passed by the majority of the House. Chaos continued in the Assembly after which the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes. The passing of the resolution seeking restoration of statehood to J&K by the ruling NC would constitutionally have little impact, but at the political level, the passing of the resolution has brought the J&K government in direct confrontation with the Centre. Article 370 and 35A were abrogated by the country's Parliament on August 5, 2019, and the power of the Parliament to do so was upheld by . The leader of the House, Omar Abdullah, watched the proceedings silently. As the Opposition refused to take seats, the Speaker announced the adjournment of the House till tomorrow.