BJP Disrupts Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Autumn Session

The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly opened its Autumn Session in Srinagar on September 21, but proceedings were quickly derailed by intense opposition protests. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, led by Opposition leader Sunil Sharma, staged a sit-in in the well of the House using placards and slogans to protest a 6.83% electricity tariff hike and the alleged outsourcing of government jobs. The BJP further demanded the regularization of daily wagers and National Health Mission employees.

In response to the chaos, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather warned that "Gunda gardi nahi chalegi" and urged lawmakers to return to their seats, though he was eventually forced to adjourn the first day of the seven-sitting session. Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary asserted that the government was prepared to respond to all issues if asked in an orderly manner, accusing the opposition of lacking interest in public welfare.

Simultaneously, the ruling alliance—comprising the National Conference and Indian National Congress—countered the BJP's protests by demanding the immediate restoration of statehood. CPI(M) MLA Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami noted that two years had passed without the fulfillment of this promise. Outside the assembly, the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party held separate protests near the Civil Secretariat against the government's reservation policy, leading to several detentions by police.