Srinagar, Sep 16: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Wednesday defended the duration of the upcoming Autumn Session, asserting that the Union Territory records a higher average number of Assembly sittings than the national average.
Reacting to criticism from BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, who accused the government of keeping the session short and demanded a month-long sitting, Rather said Jammu and Kashmir averages 28 Assembly sittings a year against the national average of 24.
“The LoP should introspect before making such statements,” Rather told reporters during an interaction ahead of the session scheduled from September 21 to 30 in Srinagar.
Sharma had alleged that the government was not serious about addressing public issues and claimed that legislative accountability had been weakened. He had called for a month-long session to provide greater opportunity to raise issues concerning the people.
Rather said short Assembly sessions were not unique to Jammu and Kashmir, citing examples of several BJP-ruled states where recent sessions had fewer sittings.
He said Assam had held a one-day session, Rajasthan a two-day session, while Gujarat, Delhi and Goa had three-day sessions. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, he added, had five-day sessions.
The Speaker also recalled that the autumn session had traditionally been short in Jammu and Kashmir, including during the period when the BJP was part of the coalition government with the PDP.
He said the 2015 autumn session lasted from October 4 to 10 while the 2017 session was held for only four days.
Rather appealed to the media to give greater attention to the legislative performance of members rather than disruptions and slogan-shouting inside the House.
He said excessive coverage of members creating uproar could inadvertently encourage such behaviour among legislators.
“Give more coverage to whichever member delivers a good performance. That will help us conduct the House in a civilised and orderly manner,” he said.
Rather urged journalists to highlight members who respect the rules, Constitution and law and contribute meaningfully to debates.
He said his experience had been that legislators who created disruptions often received greater publicity, encouraging others to adopt similar tactics.
“When new members arrive, they perceive that creating noise and shouting slogans here will land their names in newspaper headlines,” Rather said, calling for greater focus on constructive legislative debate and performance.
Rather stressed the need for accurate, objective and responsible reporting of Assembly proceedings, stating that factual accuracy and the larger public interest should remain the guiding principles of legislative coverage.
He urged the media representatives to give due prominence to substantive debates, constructive deliberations and issues of public importance discussed in the House.
The Speaker emphasized the importance of avoiding any form of misleading or factually incorrect reporting. He urged the media to maintain the sanctity of legislative proceedings while reporting the functioning of the House.