Chaos in Assembly Over Police Action on Protesting Daily-Wagers
CM Omar Abdullah Says, Police Not in My Hands, But Their Demands Are Humanitarian and Genuine
Jammu, Mar 11: The Legislative Assembly on Tuesday witnessed heated exchanges and protests over the recent police action against protesting daily-wagers in Jammu, leading to a walkout by BJP legislators.
As per news agency JKNS, after the Question Hour, BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa raised concerns over the police crackdown on daily-wagers who were protesting for their regularization. Responding to the issue, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the action unfortunate and assured that he would address the concerns of daily-wagers during the demand for grants of departments under his control.
“The police is neither in my control nor in yours (Randhawa). Instead of raising the issue here, you should have taken it up with those who control the police, just a few kilometers away from this House,” Omar said. He said, that the issue of daily-wagers is not just financial but a humanitarian concern, adding, “Lathis shouldn’t have been used against them, and I am sure this concern has already reached the police.”
As BJP legislators pressed for immediate regularization of daily-wagers, National Conference (NC) MLAs countered them, accusing the BJP of doing nothing for the workers during their 10-year rule. Slogans of “Shame, Shame” echoed in the House as both sides engaged in a verbal clash, leading to chaotic scenes for nearly 10 minutes.
Amid shouting and counter-slogans, BJP legislators staged a walkout, alleging that NC had betrayed the daily-wagers and failed to resolve their long-pending demands. The Assembly remained disrupted as opposition and treasury benches continued to trade accusations. (JKNS)
