Lone faces ire of House in J&K
Political parties condemn former J&K speaker for raising ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans in the Assembly amid the Sujuwan attack
JAMMU: Senior national conference (NC) legislator Mohammed Akbar Lone raised “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans in the house on Saturday, even as an operation to flush out Jaish militants from the Sunjuwan Army camp in Jammu was going on, which led to severe backlash from all the political parties.
Lone defended his comments saying “as a Muslim, he was hurt over” ruling alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members raising antiPakistan slogans.
BJP legislators raised the slogans when the government informed the house of the attack and the deaths of two army personnel because of it.
Lone’s comments further infuriated BJP members. Speaker Kavinder Gupta had to then adjourn the house.
When the session resumed, all the political parties condemned Lone’s remarks.
Congress spokesman Ravinder Sharma said, “His (Lone’s) actions were highly condemnable and objectionable.”
BJP state president Sat Sharma also termed the sloganeering ‘unfortunate’.
“We want action against the former speaker for making such slogans. He is a person, who in the past, has occupied such a high constitutional position. We have demanded expunging those slogans from the records,” Sharma said.
The People’s Democratic Party(PDP) spokesperson Rafi Ahmed Mir also terming the slogans unfortunate, said, “He (Lone) is in India and raising such slogans in the assembly cannot be approved”.
Later in the day, NC spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu distanced the party from Lone’s actions. “Justspoketo@JKNC_ President Dr Farooq Abdullah Sahib. Dr. Sahib and the entire party is of the unequivocal stand that NC MLA from Sonawari Mr Akbar Lone has spoken out of turn and his slogans in the Legislative Assembly are completely unacceptable...” Mattu tweeted.
BJP LEGISLATORS RAISED SLOGANS WHEN THE GOVT INFORMED THE HOUSE OF THE ATTACK AND THE DEATHS OF TWO ARMY PERSONNEL IN IT