The draft proposal for the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the J&K Assembly has sparked controversy, with opposition members accusing it of being a clear endorsement of the central government’s decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.The Business Rules Committee of the Legislative Assembly is led by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather. Other committee members include former Speaker Mubarak Gul (National Conference), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami (CPI-M), Saifullah Mir (NC), Nizam-ud-Din Bhat (Congress), Pawan Kumar Gupta (BJP), Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi (NC), R.S. Pathania (BJP), and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan (Independent).

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has announced that the budget session of the J&K Legislative Assembly will commence on March 3. This session marks the first under Omar Abdullah’s administration since the restoration of an elected government after seven years of direct central rule.

The necessity to establish new rules arises from the transformation of the former J&K state into a union territory following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.

Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, a youth leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and MLA, accused the National Conference Government of endorsing the changes made on August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was repealed, leading to the bifurcation and downgrading of the state into two union territories.

In a post on X, Para shared a screenshot of a news article stating, “The modifications have been proposed to align the Rules with the constitutional changes enacted on August 5, 2019, according to an anonymous committee member.” He added, “The revised J&K Assembly business rules signify a departure from Article 370, tacitly approving the constitutional changes from August 5, 2019. This is a clear acknowledgment of the new status quo.”

Peoples Conference leader and MLA Sajad Lone criticized the draft proposals, labeling them “the most explicit and unforgivable ratification of the changes from August 5, 2019.” Lone expressed discontent over the committee’s makeup, dominated by seven members from the ruling National Conference (NC) and only two from the opposition BJP, excluding any representatives from Kashmir-based opposition parties. He cautioned that the current assembly’s actions could permanently obstruct any future legal challenges to the 2019 changes, marking a substantial transformation in the political landscape. Lone accused the NC and BJP of collaborating to normalize these changes and referenced historical examples of ‘endorsements’ in return for power.

“We had hoped for a decisive resolution from the new assembly that would reject the events of August 5, 2019, but instead, we face a startling reality. This assembly is being used to undermine any potential legal challenges in the future. The present assembly, representing the populace of J&K, will be remembered as an endorser rather than a rejector of August 5, 2019,” Lone stated.

He drew comparisons to historical instances where ‘gifts’ were given in exchange for endorsements, citing the 1975 arrangement that allowed a government to form without MLAs to approve constitutional erosions from 1950 to 1975, as well as the 1996 arrangement that involved orchestrating an election in Kashmir, effectively endorsing violence perpetrated by the state.

Lone concluded with a poignant remark, “It is a burden to be an MLA in an assembly that will be remembered for endorsing August 5.”