The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly descended into pandemonium for the second straight day on Tuesday, as a fiery showdown over the Waqf Amendment Act saw legislators from the National Conference (NC), Congress, PDP, and Independents storm the well of the House, trade barbs, and force yet another adjournment.
The chaos peaked when PDP’s Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra was forcibly ejected by marshals, leaving the Budget Session in tatters and religious tensions simmering.
The uproar erupted as soon as the House convened, with NC heavyweights Salman Sagar and Tanvir Sadiq, alongside Peoples Conference’s Sajad Gani Lone, demanding the session be halted to debate the controversial Waqf Bill.
Undeterred by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather’s pleas to kick off Question Hour, the coalition of NC, Congress, PDP, and Independent MLAs flooded the well, chanting against what they dubbed a “black law” and waving a resolution to scrap it.
PDP’s Parra, clutching his party’s resolution, turned up the heat, insisting on its immediate passage. But the move backfired spectacularly. NC’s Abdul Majid Larmi branded him an “RSS agent,” igniting a verbal slugfest with opposition MLAs like Sheikh Kursheed. When Parra lunged deeper into the well, Speaker Rather had seen enough—marshals swooped in, dragging him out amid jeers.
“This is a Muslim-majority region with over 60 Muslim legislators, yet we’re gagged on our own resolution,” Parra fumed to reporters outside, decrying the “unfortunate” ouster.
The Waqf Act debate has been a powder keg since Monday, when nine MLAs from NC, Congress, and Independents first pushed to suspend business for it—only to see the House adjourn twice amid similar chaos. On Tuesday, NC’s Nazir Gurezi pleaded, “It’s a religious matter for a Muslim-majority state—let us speak!”
But Rather shot it down, citing the issue’s sub-judice status and parliamentary supremacy. “You can’t undo what Parliament has done,” he declared, sparking desk-thumping protests.
The standoff took a twist when Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary broke ranks with the Speaker. “This is the people’s government, and if it’s the members’ concern, it’s ours too,” he argued, urging a discussion. Ministers Javed Dar and Sakina Itoo backed him, while Gurezi pointed out, “The Supreme Court hasn’t even issued notices—there’s no bar on debate.” Yet Rather held firm, invoking Section 58 to argue the matter wasn’t the J-K government’s domain, further enraging the treasury benches.
As slogans flew and fists pounded desks, BJP’s Sham Lal Sharma and Lone taunted the protesters: “Bring a no-confidence motion against the Speaker!” After a 30-minute adjournment failed to cool tempers, Rather threw in the towel, suspending proceedings till 1 p.m. The House, meant to tackle the Budget, remains a battleground instead.
With religious sentiments clashing against procedural roadblocks, the Waqf Act row has exposed deep fissures in J-K’s fragile political fabric. Will the Assembly reconvene with answers—or just more chaos? For now, the gavel’s down, but the uproar’s far from over.