Srinagar: Veteran National Conference leader and seven-time MLA from Charar-e-Sharief Abdul Rahim Rather was on Monday elected the first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Leader of the House and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Rather (80) was a “natural choice” for the post due to his vast experience. He said Rather has earlier raised the dignity of the House in various capacities, and as the custodian of the House now, “we expect you to do justice with all members”.
Rather was elected the Speaker with a voice vote after the opposition parties decided against contesting for the post. Protem Speaker Mubarak Gul conducted the election.
Minister for Agriculture Javed Ahmad Dar moved a motion to name Rather for the post of Speaker, while NC’s MLA Ramban Arjun Singh Raju seconded the motion on the first day of the five-day session.
After his election, Rather was escorted to the chair by the Leader of the House Abdullah and BJP’s Sunil Sharma, the Leader of Opposition.
The House met after a gap of more than six years, with the last session held in early 2018, a year before the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.
In his address after the Speaker election, Abdullah congratulated Rather on behalf of the entire House.
“You were a natural choice for this post of the House. That is why there was not a single voice against your nomination for the post. Everyone is aware of your experience. You have been a member of this House with every chief minister except for the tenure of Mehbooba Mufti,” the NC leader said.
“We hope you will give support and help to the opposition members as well so that this House functions smoothly. We will extend full support to you in the functioning of this House,” Abdullah added.
Leader of Opposition Sharma also congratulated Rather on assuming the chair of the Speaker.
“First of all, I want to extend my best wishes on behalf of opposition benches. After a long time, the assembly has been constituted again. It is our good fortune that people have sent their representatives to this House and it has elected you as the custodian,” the BJP leader said.
He said the members of the House have high hopes from the Chair.
“We are hopeful that you will use your vast experience to run this House. You have spent a long time in the House, having sat both in the treasury and the opposition benches. So, we expect that you will do justice,” Sharma said.
The Leader of Opposition added that members of the House would raise the issues of the people and expressed hope that the speaker would be neutral in his dealings.
“We are taught discipline in the party (BJP) that we come from. I am assuring you that we will follow discipline, but it should in no way be treated as our weakness,” he added.
Congress MLA Ghulam Ahmad Mir while congratulating Rather said he was a natural choice as no one in the House has experience that matched his.
“You are an asset of the state who has not only guided the state, but helped the nation as finance minister when you were the chairman of the GST committee,” Mir said.
M Y Tarigami, CPI(M) MLA from Kulgam, said the members of the House have not got the people’s mandate only to fight with each other, they have to find solutions as well.
“Jammu and Kashmir is caught in a whirlpool. We have to find a way out,” he said.
Peoples’ Conference MLA Sajad Gani Lone pointed out that when the House had met the last time, J&K was a state but now it is a union territory.
While he said he did not want to say something bitter, he criticised the council of ministers for not consulting the MLAs while on tour to their constituencies.
“Our young ministers are running the party through the government. If a minister is going on a tour, why are MLAs not taken along? The power to achieve statehood is by showing respect to this House,” he said.
Stringent security measures were put in place for the assembly session.
Meanwhile, in his maiden speech after being elected as the custodian of the House, Rather said he will prove by his deeds that he is not a partisan speaker.
Addressing the House after tabling J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s address to the assembly, the speaker expressed gratitude to the members of the assembly for electing him unanimously.
“I am thankful from the bottom of my heart for electing me to this post. I realise that a big post comes with big responsibility. I will try to fulfill the expectations you have with me,” Rather said.
He asked the members to uphold the sanctity and dignity of the House under all circumstances.
“First thing we should do is to uphold the sanctity and dignity in all situations. The sanctity of this House will ensure our dignity as well. If our dignity is there, our words will carry weight outside the House,” he said.
The Speaker said the time of this House is precious and the members should use it wisely.
“We have to be measured in our words. We will have to judiciously use the time of this House. Constructive approach should be taken in dealings in this House and in the committees of this House,” he added.
“Your actions and words should be governed by how much it will benefit the poor man out there. The members should hold the government accountable, but in doing that you should not unnecessarily deride the ministers or the officers,” he said.
Rather said the speaker is the custodian of the House and the rights of the MLAs.
“I will help you in making the government accountable. I request the ministers to come prepared, the MLAs should come prepared as well. If I feel any member does not do justice with supplementaries, I will have to intervene,” he said.
The Speaker said it has become a trend that a lot of time in the House gets wasted in unruly scenes.
The Speaker has power to take action which can be anything from suspension to disqualification, he warned, though adding, “I hope I don’t get to take any such action”.
Rather said in his 36 years of parliamentary life, he has not even once violated the rules or faced action by the speaker.
“Even when I was the leader of the Opposition, I would not misuse the position,” he said.
Rather assured the House that he will not be partisan in his dealings.
“I have belonged to NC for the past 50 years. I have been a member of the Central Working Committee for 45 years. I am proud of it. But, from today, I have no political party. I belong to all of you.
“There will be no partisan role. I will prove with my actions that this House will be run objectively and neutrally. I will only take dictation from the rules,” he added.
“Let us take a pledge to create a Jammu and Kashmir of our dreams where education is universal, eyes are free from tears, and communal harmony prevails everywhere,” he said.
The Speaker also said under the Reorganization Act passed by Parliament after J&K was downgraded into a Union territory, the rules of conduct of business of an assembly have to be made by this assembly.
“This cannot be done overnight or in 10 days. It will take time. However, the Act has a provision that we can use the rules of the previous assembly with certain modifications, and the powers of modifications have been given to the speaker. We will soon modify those rules while simultaneously working on framing the new rules,” he told the House.
He then adjourned the House till Tuesday.
