J&K L-G gives assent to three bills passed by Assembly

Jammu, April 7 (IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly was informed on Monday that Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha has given assent to three bills passed by the House earlier.

Manoj Kumar Pandit, secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, informed the House that three Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly were assented to by the Lt Governor on March 25.

The Secretary read out in the House: “Three Bills, passed by the Legislative Assembly, have been assented to by the Lieutenant Governor on the 25th of March, 2025. The Bills include The Jammu and Kashmir Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (L.A. Bill No. 1 of 2025), The Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill, 2025 (L.A. Bill No. 2 of 2025) and The Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill, 2025 (L.A. Bill No. 3 of 2025).”

The House resumed question hour after ruckus marred the proceedings in the morning, forcing Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to adjourn the House for 15 minutes.

National Conference MLAs Nazir Gurezi and Tanvir Sadiq demanded that the question hour be deferred to allow a discussion on the Waqf Amendment Act.

The demand was supported by Congress, PDP and some other members, while the BJP opposed the move.

The Speaker ruled that since the matter is sub judice, he cannot allow a debate on the subject.

Former Chief Minister and PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti termed the rejection of the adjournment motion on the Waqf Amendment Act "profoundly disappointing" and accused the NC government of yielding to the BJP's "anti-Muslim" agenda.

“It's profoundly disappointing that the speaker J&K Assembly has rejected the motion on the Waqf Bill. Despite securing a strong mandate, the government appears to have completely yielded to the BJP's anti-Muslim agenda, cynically attempting to appease both sides,” Mehbooba Mufti wrote in her post on X.

Senior religious and separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also criticised the Speaker’s decision. The Mirwaiz said on X: “It is ridiculous and condemnable that Tamil Nadu which only has 6% Muslim population, passes a strong anti Wakf resolution in it’s assembly, while the Muslim majority J&K assembly speaker is struggling and refusing, by hiding behind technicalities, to discuss this deeply concerting issue for the Muslims of the state. The speaker would know that the strong peoples mandate given to his party was precisely for the reason that the party had promised to safeguard the interests of the people being trampled upon since August 2019 and take a stand for them in critical matters. Why is he capitulating so meekly?"

--IANS

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