Jammu, 15 September (H.S.): The Jammu and Kashmir BJP on Monday criticised the National Conference-led government over the short duration of the upcoming Assembly session, with Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma demanding that the House be convened for at least a month to give adequate time to legislators to raise and debate people's issues.

Sharma said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had high expectations from the elected government and that the Assembly was the primary platform through which their concerns could be raised and taken up with the government.

Unfortunately, the government of Jammu and Kashmir has almost completely lost its legislative accountability. The Assembly has effectively been reduced to a joke, Sharma said at a presser at the party headquarters here.

The 10-day Autumn Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is scheduled to begin in Srinagar on September 21.

According to the provisional calendar issued by the Assembly secretariat, the session will continue till September 30, with government business, private members' bills and resolutions scheduled on designated days.

The schedule includes three non-sitting days – September 23 for Maharaja Hari Singh's birthday, September 26 as an off day, and September 27 as Sunday. The calendar is subject to change based on the businesses listed before the House.

Sharma objected to the Assembly session being restricted to seven sittings, saying this effectively left only a limited number of sittings for the legislators to raise public issues.

By restricting the session to effectively only five substantive sittings, the government has made a mockery of the people of J-K and their expectations, the BJP leader said, questioning the role of Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, saying his chair was expected to remain unbiased and ensure proper functioning of the House.

Sharma also appealed to the Speaker to reconsider the decision and extend the session to approximately 30 days, arguing that the Assembly was the only institutional platform available to elected representatives to raise issues concerning the people.

The LoP also questioned the functioning of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), saying it was meant to discuss the business to be taken up during an Assembly session.

Normally, there is an all-party BAC for an Assembly session, which discusses what all would be discussed in the House, he said.

Sharma also questioned the all-party meeting convened by the Speaker on September 17, alleging that the Assembly dates, its calendar and business had already been fixed.

The attempt to hold a meeting on September 17 at 2 pm for just 10 minutes, merely to have tea and complete a formality, is deeply regrettable, he said.

Questioning the Speaker's understanding of legislative procedure, despite his distinction as one of the House's longest-serving members, Sharma asked, Does he not understand the proper functioning of the Assembly? Does he not understand the dignity and importance of the BAC?

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar