PC Chief Sajad Lone accuses govt of suppressing dissent, walks out of Assembly

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, MARCH 04 (STC): Citing the government’s refusal to allow a debate on key issues, the People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone staged a walkout from the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly during the Budget session. The PC Chief expressed frustration over the non-inclusion of five out of seven amendments he had proposed and accused the authorities of stifling democratic discourse.
The PC chief revealed that he had submitted seven amendments to be added to the Governor’s speech, out of which only two were included, while five were not listed for debate. He questioned the Speaker’s decision and insisted that these issues deserved discussion.
According to him, the PC had raised the restoration of Article 370, the repeal of the Public Safety Act (PSA), concerns over police verification procedures, and civilian killings, but the Speaker did not allow these issues to be discussed, forcing him to protest.
“We cannot speak on the floor of the Assembly. Where do you expect us to speak?” he asked.
Lone alleged that while NC promised the restoration of Article 370 in its election manifesto, after forming the government, it started using the term “special status” instead.

“In their election manifesto, NC spoke about Article 370, but now they have introduced a new term—’special status.’ What does that mean?” he questioned, accusing the party of diluting its earlier commitments.(STC)