BJP members walkout of J-K Assembly after Speaker expunges remarks of opposition leader

BJP members walked out of J&K Assembly today. (File photo)

All 28 BJP members on Wednesday walked out from the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather announced expunging of "derogatory remarks" of the Leader of Opposition on the July 13, 1931 "martyrs".

Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma made the remarks against the "martyrs" in response to the speech of PDP legislator Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, who demanded restoration of the public holidays on July 13 and the December 5 in honour of National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.

CPI(M) member M Y Tarigami and Congress leader Nizamuddin Bhat also joined the chorus and demanded expunging of the remarks against the 1931 "martyrs" and an apology from the Leader of the Opposition.  Later, the Speaker announced expunging of the "derogatory remarks" following which the entire 28 members of the BJP staged a walkout.

July 13 was observed as a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir to commemorate the 22 men who fell to the bullets of Dogra Maharaja’s soldiers outside Srinagar central jail in 1931.

The holiday along with the December 5 holiday in connection with birth anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah were, however, scrapped by the Lt Governor Administration post 2019 following abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories.