The starting of the Autumn Session has once again raised an old concern: whether legislative time is being used for the purpose for which the Assembly exists. Protests and slogans are part of democratic politics, and members have every right to raise issues that concern their constituents. But when demonstrations dominate proceedings, the larger purpose of the House suffers. In a brief session, every hour carries value, and the focus should remain on debate, accountability and solutions. Assembly time must serve people. The Legislative Assembly is an institution meant to examine government policies, raise public concerns, seek answers from ministers and find solutions to problems facing the people. When the House meets, people expect their representatives to use that opportunity to speak about issues that affect their daily lives. The opening day of the Autumn Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, however, was marked by noisy protests, sloganeering and disruptions. BJP legislators raised issues including power tariffs, regularisation of daily-wagers and the demands of NHM employees. These are genuine public concerns and deserve discussion. Opposition parties have an important role in bringing such matters before the House and demanding answers from the government. But there is a difference between raising an issue and preventing the House from discussing it. The present session is brief. This makes every minute of legislative time important. Repeated sloganeering, entering the well of the House and disruptions can consume valuable time that could otherwise be used for questions, debates, bills and detailed discussions. Such interruptions may create political headlines, but they do not necessarily produce solutions. The ruling party also has a responsibility. The government should not treat criticism as an obstacle. Issues raised by opposition members should receive clear and detailed responses. If there are difficulties in meeting demands, the government should explain them honestly. If a solution is possible, a roadmap and timeline should be placed before the House. This is how legislative debate can lead to action. There is also a need to respect the authority of the Speaker. The Speaker’s repeated appeals to members to return to their seats should not be ignored. Parliamentary rules exist to ensure that different views can be heard without allowing proceedings to descend into disorder. The government and opposition may disagree strongly, and that disagreement is a normal part of democracy. But the Assembly should not become an extension of street politics. Political differences can be expressed firmly while still allowing legislative business to continue. The people of Jammu and Kashmir face a long list of concerns, including employment, infrastructure, power supply, healthcare, education, prices and public services. They need their representatives to debate and press for measurable action. The success of a session should not be judged by the volume of slogans raised inside the House. It should be judged by the quality of debate, the answers obtained from the government and the issues that move closer to resolution. The Autumn Session is still underway. There is an opportunity to change the tone.
Legislative Focus
