SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 29: Congress MLA Nizamuddin Bhat on Tuesday raised concerns over the role of senior bureaucrats in the functioning of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, questioning their communication with the Speaker over the statehood resolution.
Speaking during the Assembly proceedings, Bhat urged Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to make the communication from the Law Secretary part of the official House record and allow members to discuss it. His remarks came a day after the Assembly passed a resolution seeking restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Bhat referred to letters sent by Chief Secretary Atal Duloo and Law Secretary Achal Sethi to the Assembly Secretariat regarding the statehood resolution moved by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Reports said the officials had raised legal and procedural objections to the resolution being taken up.
Questioning the role of officials, Bhat asked whether bureaucrats could act on behalf of the elected government and said such communications raised questions about the powers of the Speaker and the legislature.
He argued that the elected government was formed following elections and under the Constitution and law, and questioned the functioning of the Assembly if its powers were significantly restricted.
Bhat also said ministers were accountable to the people but suggested that their functioning was being constrained by administrative processes. He called for the bureaucratic communication to be placed on record and discussed by the House.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also raised the issue during the debate on the statehood resolution. He said he was unaware of the Law Secretary’s communication despite holding the Law portfolio, and questioned how such an opinion could reach the Speaker without his knowledge.
Abdullah cited the episode as an example of the administrative challenges faced by Jammu and Kashmir under its present Union Territory structure. He also referred to delays concerning daily-wage workers and other administrative matters while arguing for the restoration of statehood.
The issue comes amid heightened debate in the Assembly over the powers of the elected government and the administrative structure of Jammu and Kashmir. The Assembly passed the statehood resolution on September 28 amid strong opposition and a walkout by BJP legislators.
