Assembly Session 2024
Abdul Rahim Rather elected as Speaker
of JK Legislative Assembly
SRINAGAR, NOVEMBER
04: National Conference (NC) leader and seven time MLA from Charar-e-Sharief
Abdul Rahim Rather was, on Monday, unanimously elected as first speaker of the
Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
He was elected as
Speaker of the House after Minister for Agriculture Rural Development &
Panchayati Raj, Cooperative, and Election, Javed Ahmad Dar, moved a motion
nominating Abdul Rahim Rather for the post of Speaker. The NC's MLA Ramban,
Arjun Singh Raju, seconded the motion on the first day of the session. Rather
was elected as the speaker through a voice vote.
Pro-tem speaker,
Mubarak Gul, conducted the session.
Leader of the House
and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah congratulated Rather on his election as the
Speaker of J&K LA since he was a "natural choice for the post due to
his vast experience."
Leader of
Opposition, Sunil Sharma, Congress MLA Ghulam Ahmad Mir, CPI(M) MLA from
Kulgam, M Y Tarigami, Peoples'
Conference MLA from Handwara, Sajad Lone and PDP's MLA, Waheed Ur Rehman Para
from Pulwama congratulated Abdul Rahim
Rather on assuming the chair of the Speaker.
Addressing the
House after tabling Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s address to the assembly,
the Speaker expressed gratitude to the members of the assembly for electing
him.
In his maiden
speech, as Speaker of the House, Abdul Rahim Rather said "I assure the
treasury and the opposition benches that they will be provided equal support
and opportunities to raise the issues in the House. I will fulfill the role
assigned to me in a very non-partisan and objective manner,".
Rahim Rather sought
support from all MLAs in smooth functioning of the House. He said that he will
try hard to fulfill the expectations of the MLAs while maintaining the dignity
of the House and following the rule book.
"Our first job
is to maintain the dignity of this House at all times under any circumstances.
The sanctity of this House will ensure our dignity as well. We need active
cooperation and support from all sides for smooth functioning of the
House," he maintained. He emphasised that people are looking up to the
MLAs for resolution of their issues and they should try to fulfill the responsibilities that
people have entrusted them with.
While calling for
respecting people's mandate, the Speaker said that the actions of the MLAs
should align with the aspirations of the citizens as people have reposed faith
in them through their vote.
The Speaker said
the time of this House is precious and the members should use it judiciously
and create a healthy atmosphere in running the business of the House. “We will
have to judiciously use the time of this House and raise our voice in a very
constructive and positive manner,” he added.
He said that actions
and words of the members of the House should be governed by how much it will
benefit the poorest man in their thoughts. He said that the members have a duty
to hold the government accountable, but in doing so, one should not
unnecessarily deride the ministers or the officers.
Rahim Rather said
the Speaker is the custodian of the House and rights of the MLAs and he will go
an extra mile in helping the legislators in making the government accountable.
The Speaker said
that MLAs should understand the legislative process very well and according to
its rules, they should maintain their language, behavior and correspondence
with the Assembly Secretariat. He said that the Parliamentary rules and
conventions should be strictly adhered to by all the members in the House and
he will intervene, in case the need arises.
He said that he has
been working with the National Conference from the last 50 years, but from now
onwards he has no political affiliation and will prove by his actions that the
House is run in an objective and neutral manner. “I will be taking dictation
only from the rules”, asserted the Speaker.