The Legislative Assembly today witnessed noisy scenes and verbal clashes between the treasury benches and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over ST-II certificates.
The Question Hour passed off peacefully for the first time during the current autumn session of the Assembly but noisy scenes were witnessed during the Zero Hour.
The BJP and NC legislators exchanged heated words over the issuance of Scheduled Tribe-II (ST-II) certificates, with BJP MLA Narinder Singh questioning the distribution of the certificates and seeking their issuance to eligible Pahari people living outside Rajouri and Poonch.
Referring to the ST-II data provided by the Assembly, Singh said 5,73,667 certificates had been issued across Jammu and Kashmir, including 5,04,007 in the Jammu division and 69,660 in Kashmir.
Singh questioned the concentration of certificates in Rajouri and Poonch and said eligible people living in other areas were facing difficulties in obtaining ST-II certificates. “We should debate on this,” he said.
He said the Assembly data showed that only 140 ST-II certificates had been issued in Jammu district, while Rajouri accounted for 3,01,091 certificates and Poonch 18,435 He urged the Government to direct the concerned tehsildars to verify applications and issue certificates to all those who meet the prescribed eligibility criteria.
His remarks triggered an exchange with NC members, who accused the BJP of repeatedly targeting the Pir Panjal region. MLA Aijaz Ahmad Jan said the BJP could raise demands concerning its areas but objected to what he described as repeated references to figures from Rajouri and Poonch.
NC MLA Dr Sajad Shafi also objected to Singh’s remarks, saying Rajouri and Poonch had RBA and ALC categories before ST-II reservation was introduced.
According to the Assembly data, Rajouri has the highest number of ST-II certificates at 3,01,091, followed by Kupwara with 34,224, Baramulla with 29,635, Poonch with 18,435 and Kishtwar with 17,304.
Several NC and BJP MLAs were on the feet and had heated arguments leading to commotion in the assembly. However, the Speaker intervened and restored the order in the House.