Chaos in JK assembly over Waqf Bill, house adjourned till 1 pm

Srinagar: For the third consecutive day, the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed raucous scenes as legislators from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Conference (NC) clashed over the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

The House was adjourned till 1pm after BJP lawmakers stormed into the well of the Assembly, raising slogans and protesting against the National Conference’s persistent demand for a debate on the bill. The Speaker’s repeated refusal to allow a discussion has deepened the standoff between the treasury benches and the opposition.

As the session began, NC MLAs stood up to press the Speaker to allow deliberations on the Waqf Bill, which they claim is unjust and discriminatory. In response, the Speaker ruled that there was no scope to revisit Parliament’s decision on the matter and declared the discussion out of order.

Meanwhile, the Speaker also rejected an adjournment motion moved by BJP legislators to discuss the rising unemployment in the Union Territory, stating that it was “not a matter of urgent nature.” The decision triggered loud protests from the BJP benches, who accused NC members of indulging in theatrics and shouted slogans such as “Yeh dramabazi bandh karo”.

NC MLA Nazir Gurezi, amid the uproar, hit back, accusing the BJP of attempting to divide communities. “They want to divide Hindus and Muslims. Let them first explain how many jobs they have provided to unemployed youth,” Gurezi said during the heated exchanges.

As tempers flared, BJP MLAs staged a sit-in inside the well of the House, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the session until 1pm.

The standoff between the two parties reflects a deepening political divide over both the handling of the Waqf properties and the broader governance issues in the region.