Ahead of budget session, Speaker calls all-party meeting on February 27

Srinagar, Feb 22: Ahead of the beginning of the budget session, the Speaker of Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly has called an all-party meeting on February 27 to ensure smooth functioning of the 43-day long session.

Sources told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather has invited leaders of National Conference, Bharatiya Janta Party, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Conference for the meeting scheduled on February 27 at Legislative Assembly complex, Jammu.

The Speaker has invited leaders of legislature parties and chief whips for the meeting.

According to sources, Sunil Kumar Sharma(BJP),Ali Mohammad Sagar( NC), Mubarik Gul(NC), Sajad Gani Lone( Peoples Conference), Muhammad Yousouf Tarigami(CPI-M), Ghulam Ahmad Mir(Congress), Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra (PDP) Surjeet Singh Slathia (BJP) and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan( independent) have been invited to attend the meeting.

The 43- day-long session beginning from March 3 is expected to be stormy with opposition parties set to corner the government on a host of issues.

While BJP will corner government on issues of governance and commitments by the ruling NC in its manifesto, Kashmir-based opposition parties like PDP and PC are likely to raise issues of Article 370, alcohol ban and other issues.

It is pertinent to mention that Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone has submitted a resolution seeking condemnation of the August 5, 2019 decisions in strongest terms and restoration of Article 370.

PDP MLA Mir Muhammad Fayaz, NC MLA Ahsan Pardesi and AIP MLA Sheikh Khursheed Ahmed have submitted separate bills seeking ban on sale and consumption of liquor in J&K—(KNO)