Srinagar, 29 September (H.S.): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said he was not in favour of increasing salaries as the Legislative Assembly withdrew two bills to amend salaries of ministers and legislators.

The bills to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Ministers and Ministers of State Salaries Act, 1956, and the Salaries and Allowances of Members of the Jammu and Kashmir State Legislature Act, 1960, were moved by the chief minister in the Assembly on Monday.

As BJP MLAs raised some objections to the bills, the chief minister said he would withdraw them if they are not passed unanimously.

BJP leader Sham Lal Sharma, while opposing the bills, said the government should instead focus on providing relief to daily wagers and contractual employees.

To this, Abdullah replied, If they (BJP) had the intention of helping daily wagers, (BJP MLA Surjit Singh) Slathia should have said this in the report. Not one BJP MLA has written a dissenting note. Did any MLA raise an objection? No. If they had so much sympathy for daily wagers, why did they not help them before 2024? He was referring to the committee framed to examine the salary hikes of ministers and MLAs.

The chief minister said he was not in favour of increasing the salaries.

I told my colleagues that until these bills are passed unanimously, I will not press for them, he said, appealing to the House to withdraw the bill.

The Speaker put the bills to a vote, and they were withdrawn.

The BJP members did not vote in favour of the withdrawal during the voice vote, and were chided by the National Conference members for it.

Nevertheless, a bill to amend the Jammu and Kashmir State Legislature Members' Pension Act, 1984, was introduced in the House and passed by voice vote.

While the chief minister had sought withdrawal of the bill, members from both the treasury and opposition benches said that since the bill concerned those legislators who have retired, it should not be withdrawn.

It will now be easy for me to go home as I have a pensioner at home. We all will be pensioned some day, the chief minister said, introducing the bill.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar