Politics – Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Committee Row Sparks Fresh Political Debate
Politics – The political atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir has intensified after disagreements emerged between the ruling National Conference and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party over the allocation of chairmanships in various Assembly committees for the 2026-27 term. The controversy began after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather announced the formation of several financial and departmental committees and assigned leadership responsibilities to different legislators.
Committee Appointments Trigger Political Disagreement
The newly constituted committees include the Public Accounts Committee, Estimates Committee, Public Undertakings Committee, Environment Committee, Privileges Committee, Petitions Committee and Government Assurances Committee. These panels play a significant role in reviewing government functioning, public spending and legislative matters within the Assembly.
Under the announced appointments, BJP leader Surjeet Singh Slathia was named chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. National Conference leaders were assigned several other key responsibilities, with Nazir Ahmad Khan heading the Estimates Committee, Mir Saifullah taking charge of the Public Undertakings Committee, Justice Hasnain Masoodi leading the Privileges Committee, Farooq Ahmad Shah overseeing the Petitions Committee and Ali Mohammad Sagar heading the Government Assurances Committee.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami was selected to chair the Environment Committee, while independent MLA Muzaffar Iqbal Khan was appointed head of the Subordinate Legislation Committee.
BJP Raises Questions Over Representation
The BJP strongly criticised the distribution of committee leadership positions, arguing that the ruling alliance had received a disproportionately high share of chairmanships. Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma alleged that the Assembly leadership had failed to maintain fairness while making appointments.
According to Sharma, eight of the nine committee chairmanships were given to members associated with the ruling alliance, leaving the opposition with limited representation. He argued that the move ignored the principle of proportional representation, which is generally considered an important parliamentary convention.
The BJP leader further stated that some committees traditionally chaired by opposition members had instead been handed to ruling party legislators. He claimed that such decisions weakened the balance expected in a democratic legislative system and accused the ruling side of influencing the functioning of the Assembly.
National Conference Defends Speaker’s Decision
The National Conference dismissed the BJP’s allegations and defended the Speaker’s appointments as consistent with democratic norms followed in legislative institutions. Party MLA Tanvir Sadiq said the distribution of committee chairmanships was comparable to practices followed in Parliament.
He pointed out that in Parliament, a majority of committees are commonly chaired by members of the ruling alliance, while the remaining are led by opposition parties and independent representatives. Sadiq argued that the current arrangement in Jammu and Kashmir reflected a similar balance.
The NC leader also highlighted that out of the nine committees, five were chaired by National Conference legislators, while four were headed by opposition or independent members. According to him, the distribution did not violate parliamentary standards and instead reflected a reasonable political balance.
Debate Over Parliamentary Conventions Continues
Responding to the National Conference’s explanation, Sunil Sharma maintained that the ruling party was selectively presenting figures to justify the allocations. He argued that comparisons with Parliament should include the broader National Democratic Alliance structure rather than focusing solely on the BJP.
Sharma stated that if the principle of proportional representation was followed strictly in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the BJP should have received a larger share of committee chairmanships. He insisted that the current arrangement favoured the ruling alliance far beyond its fair representation in the House.
The dispute has now added another layer to the growing political rivalry between the ruling National Conference and the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir. While the government maintains that the appointments follow accepted democratic practices, the opposition continues to demand greater representation in legislative committees.