With the coalition partner Congress objecting to the use of honorific “sahib” for Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru by legislators in the Assembly, the ruling National Conference today got into damage-control mode. To placate annoyed Congress leaders, the National Conference ruled out bringing any resolution in the Assembly to bring back the mortal remains of Guru.
“There’s no question of bringing a resolution in the Assembly on the issue,” senior National Conference leader Ali Mohammad Sagar, who is holding Rural Development Department portfolio told reporters outside the Assembly.
“It is just politics and we know how to counter this politics,” Sagar said while referring to the main opposition PDP. “As far as the National Conference is concerned, the stand of the party is clear”.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mir Saifullah also tried to downplay the issue. “Actually I always add the suffix “sahib” while addressing people, so it should not be an issue,” he said.
Earlier senior Congress leader and Minister for Public Health Engineering and Irrigation Sham Lal Sharma made a veiled attack on the National Conference and the PDP for indulging in such tactics.
“I think the ground of the mainstream parties is shrinking in the Kashmir valley. So, they have been raking up such issues,” he said.
While regretting that the man who was convicted by the land of law of masterminding the attack on Parliament has been addressed as “sahib and shaheed”, he said: “This is really unfortunate and this type of language should not be used in the House. I strongly condemn it,” he said.
Later in the Assembly, he demanded that the proceedings of the House where the members had used unparliamentarily language and made unconstitutional statements needed to be expunged from the record of the Assembly.
“The House should be allowed to function as per the procedure of the Indian Constitution and whatever is happening on the floor of the House is just contrary to it. There is a procedure in our Constitution where action can be initiated against the members resorting to unparliamentarily and unconstitutional language,” Sharma said.
To a question on the Congress stand vis-à-vis any resolution on the return of mortal remains of Afzal in the Assembly, he said his party would take the appropriate position but as per the procedure, the resolution could not be moved or accepted on an issue which had already been discussed in the House.
Lashing out at the PDP legislator for questioning the integration of J&K with Indian Union, the minister said the MLAs had taken the oath under the Constitution and they were duty-bound to honour the Constitution. “If somebody questions the integration of state with India, such members should resign from the House and then make any unconstitutional statement,” Sharma said.
He also objected to the use of “sahib or shaheed” with Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, saying that the sanctity of the House should be maintained.
“There’s no question of bringing a resolution in the Assembly on the issue,” senior National Conference leader Ali Mohammad Sagar, who is holding Rural Development Department portfolio told reporters outside the Assembly.
“It is just politics and we know how to counter this politics,” Sagar said while referring to the main opposition PDP. “As far as the National Conference is concerned, the stand of the party is clear”.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mir Saifullah also tried to downplay the issue. “Actually I always add the suffix “sahib” while addressing people, so it should not be an issue,” he said.
Earlier senior Congress leader and Minister for Public Health Engineering and Irrigation Sham Lal Sharma made a veiled attack on the National Conference and the PDP for indulging in such tactics.
“I think the ground of the mainstream parties is shrinking in the Kashmir valley. So, they have been raking up such issues,” he said.
While regretting that the man who was convicted by the land of law of masterminding the attack on Parliament has been addressed as “sahib and shaheed”, he said: “This is really unfortunate and this type of language should not be used in the House. I strongly condemn it,” he said.
Later in the Assembly, he demanded that the proceedings of the House where the members had used unparliamentarily language and made unconstitutional statements needed to be expunged from the record of the Assembly.
“The House should be allowed to function as per the procedure of the Indian Constitution and whatever is happening on the floor of the House is just contrary to it. There is a procedure in our Constitution where action can be initiated against the members resorting to unparliamentarily and unconstitutional language,” Sharma said.
To a question on the Congress stand vis-à-vis any resolution on the return of mortal remains of Afzal in the Assembly, he said his party would take the appropriate position but as per the procedure, the resolution could not be moved or accepted on an issue which had already been discussed in the House.
Lashing out at the PDP legislator for questioning the integration of J&K with Indian Union, the minister said the MLAs had taken the oath under the Constitution and they were duty-bound to honour the Constitution. “If somebody questions the integration of state with India, such members should resign from the House and then make any unconstitutional statement,” Sharma said.
He also objected to the use of “sahib or shaheed” with Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, saying that the sanctity of the House should be maintained.
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