Jammu: Speaker of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather, today urged the representatives of all political parties and independent legislators for cooperation during the ensuing Budget session to ensure productivity of the House, an official press release said.
It said chairing an All Party Meeting (APM) ahead of the Budget session, scheduled to commence on March 3, 2025, the Speaker underscored the need for dialogue, coordination and consensus building to facilitate smooth legislative proceedings.
Leader of Opposition (LoP), Sunil Sharma and Surjeet Singh Slathia, represented BJP; Mubarak Gul represented National Conference; Ghulam Ahmad Mir, represented Indian National Congress; Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami represented CPI(M); Muzaffar Iqbal Khan as independent legislator while Waheed ur Rehman Parra represented Peoples Democratic Party during the meeting.
In his opening remarks, the Speaker emphasized on the importance of dialogue, cooperation and consensus building for effective proceedings and productivity of the house. He urged the representatives of all parties to contribute actively in discussions and debates as MLAs are vital for highlighting issues of public welfare during the session of the House.
“The Budget session is a crucial time for policy deliberations and financial planning. I urge all of you and your members to engage in meaningful debates, uphold house decorum and work towards the collective good of our people as well as the entire Jammu and Kashmir,” maintained the Speaker.
Highlighting the significance of Question Hour, Speaker Rather encouraged the legislators to make the most of this opportunity to hold the government accountable.
“Question Hour is a key tool that ensures government accountability. Legislators must utilize this time effectively to raise public concerns and seek concrete responses,” emphasized the Speaker.
The Speaker further called upon all the political parties for effective coordination during the entire session of the house. He underlined that productivity of the House is possible only after there is coordination between opposition and the government in highlighting peoples issues and addressing them respectively.
Speaking during the meeting, LoP, Sunil Sharma, said that the public issues need to be highlighted during the assembly session which is possible only when no disruptions occur. He highlighted that the credibility of MLAs is at stake during the proceedings of the house and members need to be responsive towards public issues and make the government accountable on that rather than indulging in disruptions. He assured the Speaker that the legislators of his party will ensure smooth business of the House.
In his remarks during the meeting, Ghulam Ahmad Mir of INC said that Question Hour being an important tool for making the government accountable, should not be disrupted.
CPI (M) Legislator, M.Y Tarigami, underlined that accountability of the government is possible only through smooth conduct of house proceedings. He also called for coordination between government and the opposition to make house proceedings productive and fruitful.
During the meeting, NC Legislator Mubarak Gul, said that the public issues need to be highlighted during the assembly proceedings as legislators are the face of the people during the session of the House.
Waheed ur Rehman Parra of PDP and Independent Legislator, Advocate Muzaffar Iqbal Khan sought proportionate time for all MLAs while raising public issues during the business of house.
The Speaker assured all parties that their concerns and suggestions would be duly considered for fair and impartial proceedings of the house. He highlighted that the road for a productive budget session has been laid with this fruitful meeting.
