J-K Assembly business rules framed, sent to LG for approval: CM Omar Abdullah

Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said business rules of the Legislative Assembly have been framed and sent to the Lieutenant Governor for approval to facilitate smooth governance without confusion.

"Until we receive statehood, it is necessary to establish business rules for clarity. It took some time, but yesterday at 8 pm, we convened a cabinet meeting and finalised the business rules. They were approved by our cabinet," Abdullah said in reply to the motion of thanks to the Lieutenant Governor's address to the Assembly.

He further said the rules have been submitted to the Lieutenant Governor for approval. "We hope they will be approved," he added.

Asserting that this step will reduce confusion, he said, "As long as this system is in place, it should operate smoothly without any confusion. Although I view it as temporary, implementing business rules is preferable to reduce confusion." Chief Minister Abdullah last month openly criticised the dual governance model in the Union Territory (UT) — where he shares power with the Lieutenant Governor — as a "recipe for disaster".

He had said the hybrid model of governance in the UT was not to anyone's advantage and the systems worked better when there was a single centre of command.

The Congress, People's Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties have criticised the dual model of governance in J-K.