J&K Assembly: Uproar over land transfer bill

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti addressing speaks during the last day of Budget Session of Legislative Assembly in Srinagar. (Photo: PTI)

In what has been termed by the Opposition as a bizarre act and a “sell out,” the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday gave in to its coalition partner BJP by endorsing its plea to send a bill aimed at preventing transfer of land in Jammu and Kashmir to non-state subjects to a select committee.

The move led to uproar in the state Assembly and amid chanting of slogans against the PDP-BJP coalition, the entire Opposition led by National Conference (NC) leader and former chief minister, Omar Abdullah, staged a walkout. The bill was sent to a select committee after revenue minister Syed Basharat Bukhari moved the motion in the House in spite of the fact that the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Abdullah, had pushed for vote on the bill and all Opposition members, including those from Congress and most independents, supported him. The Opposition also found a supporter in former works minister and senior PDP leader Syed Altaf Bukhari, who rose in favour of passage of the bill but to no avail.

Ironically, the BJP was part of a Cabinet decision taken on June 23 to introduce the bill in the House. But as an afterthought, two BJP legislators, apparently as part of its strategy to sabotage the bill titled J&K Transfer of Property Act, on Wedne-sday submitted an amendment in the Assembly secretariat seeking the bill to be referred to a select committee.

Earlier, the House witnessed high drama for about one hour with leaders and members from various political parties and independents vociferously speaking on the issue. CPIM’s Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami pleaded that the bill, if passed, would do away with the ambiguities in the land laws and insisted that it was not against Jammu region of the state.

Mr Abdullah asserted the discord within the ruling coalition over the bill was an outcome of “inexperience” in the Cabinet.

However, Mr Basharat Bukhari, while defending the move to transfer the bill to the select committee, said it was not to create discord. He said if the select committee approves the bill it will be good for the piece of legislation. Earlier, BJP’s R.S. Pathania said the bill should go to the select committee as it must not be a hush-hush affair. But an unimpressed Opposition, including NC and Congress and independents, walked out of the House over PDP’s “sabotaging” the bill.

Before walking out in protest, Mr. Abdullah while responding to what he termed was BJP ally and social welfare minister, Sajad Lone’s, “lesson” said, “Sajad Lone will take some time to learn democracy and parliamentary rules. He is just a year old in the House but it is good he is giving us lessons on democracy.” Reacting to his remark that the opposition should not belittle democracy, Mr. Abdullah told Mr. Lone, “Democracy means majority of the MLAs are in favour of the bill and it should be passed easily.” Mr. Lone had earlier said that democracy “is agreeing to disagree.” He also said, “We all have same destinies but with different aspirations.” Defending BJP members’ opposition to the bill, he said, “We can’t force our view upon anyone else. This is dissent. This (House) is the space to accommodate different aspirations and grievances.”

Meanwhile, the NC slammed the PDP for “sabotaging” the Land Transfer Bill in the Assembly by supporting the move of its ally BJP to transfer it to a select committee. “This is a brazen murder of democracy, ironically and tragically on the same day when Mehbooba Mufti took oath as a member of the Legislative Assembly,” NC spokesman Junaid Mattu said in a statement here. Referring to the fact that BJP members were part of the Cabinet decision to introduce the bill in the House, he said, “This defies sanity and precedent and questions the very existence and writ of the Chief Minister”.

He also said that the PDP’s “sell out” was exposed in the Assembly when its own members rose in open revolt against their party. “Even some members of the ruling party were shocked at how a bill passed through the Cabinet to be tabled in the Assembly could be sabotaged in this manner...the transfer of the bill to the select committee is a matter of shame for the Chief Minister as the same was approved to be tabled in the Assembly by the Cabinet”.