Jammu, March 19: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed heated exchanges on Wednesday after Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra alleged that his cut motions in the grants had been erased. His statement, posted on social media platform X, sparked controversy, prompting Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to demand an apology, accusing him of misleading the public and media.
The Speaker clarified that the Assembly’s business is governed by Rule 227, which mandates that MLAs submit cut motions at least three days before the presentation of grants. However, he pointed out that Parra’s submissions were received via email at 11:37 PM—just a day before the grants were to be presented, making it impossible to process them in time.
“You are an educated member and should not have misled public opinion through your remarks. The Assembly is the highest platform for discussion, and you must apologize for your misleading statement,” the Speaker asserted.
Parra, however, defended his stance, claiming that he followed the same procedure used in previous grant sessions where his cut motions had been included. His remarks led to a brief uproar, with National Conference (NC) members and Independent MLA Mehraj Malik confronting him. The Speaker had to intervene, urging all members to maintain decorum.
Clarifying further, the Speaker informed the House that out of 105 cut motions submitted by Parra, all had been admitted. He also challenged Parra to name the official who allegedly informed him that his cut motions would not be entertained.
The controversy escalated after Parra took to X on Tuesday, accusing the J&K government of functioning merely as “an extension of the Governor’s rule to ratify the August 5 move”, referring to the abrogation of Article 370. His comments fueled tensions in the Assembly, leading to calls for accountability over his statements.
The Speaker reiterated that procedural guidelines must be followed and urged all members to act responsibly while addressing legislative matters.