The portals of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly were thrown open after a gap of more than six years allowing newly elected members to attend the maiden address of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to the first-ever legislative Assembly of the Union Territory after the abrogation of articles 370 and 35-A on Monday.

The last Budget session of the Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party (PDP-BJP) alliance government was adjourned sine die by the speaker on February 13, 2018. The alliance government later collapsed in June 2018 leading to the Governor’s rule. On August 5, 2019, the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two Union territories.

Meanwhile, a ruckus broke out on the floor of the Assembly soon after the unanimous election of veteran National Conference leader Abdul Rahim Rather as speaker of the house. Waheed ur Rehman Para, a PDP MLA, tried to grab the limelight by bringing in a resolution against the abrogation of Article 370 without giving any advance notice to the chair.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reacted on the spur of the moment calling out the act as a mere photo exercise. It was also ‘vociferously’ opposed by the BJP MLAs. Speaker Rather while trying to calm down the tempers of BJP members stated, “This is my domain, let me examine this and accordingly I will decide on the resolution,” Rather said while pacifying the opposition. However, the 28 BJP legislators refused to sit and continued to oppose the PDP MLAs move.

In his brief remark, Omar Abdullah said in the Assembly that a single MLA’s private resolution during remarks over the Speaker’s election carries no meaning. “How the House will reflect and discuss this will not be decided by any one member. The resolution brought today has no importance but it is only for the cameras. If there was a purpose behind it, then they would have discussed this with us before...” During the ruckus, the Speaker, Abdul Rahim Rather adjourned the house for 15 minutes.

Omar, however, admitted that the majority of people in J&K have not endorsed the changes made in 2019 and thereafter.

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha in his address to the Assembly said that he fully endorsed the Chief Minister’s demand for restoration of statehood to J&K. “It gives me great pleasure to welcome all the newly elected members of the legislative assembly to the inaugural session of the assembly. We gather here after the successful and peaceful conduct of the first democratic elections in over a decade,” he said.

The LG said the elections, the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the reorganisation of J-K into a Union Territory, are “a critical milestone” in restoring democratic governance after a period of “political uncertainty”. Sinha said he looks forward to working together with all to strengthen the democratic institutions and provide the people with the governance and the future they deserve.

The LG, however, said the aspiration for the return to Statehood in J and K remains strong.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on several occasions has already expressed his commitment to restoring statehood, which has been a source of rekindled hope and reassurance for the people.

Referring to the resolution passed by the J and K’s Council of Ministers calling for the immediate restoration of statehood, Sinha said the resolution reflects the collective will of the elected representatives, echoing the aspirations of the people for the reinstatement of full democratic governance. “My Government will make all efforts for restoration of full statehood and constitutional guarantees available to the state. It would be a befitting reciprocation of the faith reposed by the people of J-K in our democratic institutions,” he said.

“In the meantime, I urge all stakeholders to work together as one team and extend full support to my government in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people,” he added. Asserting that the Government will make efforts for a dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits, Sinha said a safe and secure environment will be created for their return to the valley. He also announced that all the vacancies in the government sector will be identified and filled up on a fast-track basis.