Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) Chief Spokesperson Inam Un Nabi has called for substantially longer sessions of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, arguing that democratic accountability cannot be meaningful when the legislature is given inadequate time to function. He made the remarks on Thursday in Srinagar, reacting to the conclusion of the seven-sitting session.
Inam pointed out that 646 questions were received during the session, but only 31 were taken up on the floor. That is fewer than five per cent of the total, and it leaves a large number of issues raised by elected representatives without adequate opportunity for discussion.
“Legislative time is not the Government’s time. It belongs to the people. Every question raised in the Assembly represents a concern of the people who elected their representative,” he said.
Seven sittings, he said, are simply inadequate for a legislature representing the entire Jammu and Kashmir. “The Assembly cannot become a legislature that meets briefly, asks a few questions and then goes home. Question Hour is a vital instrument of democratic accountability and elected representatives must have adequate time to question the executive on unemployment, recruitment, education, healthcare, roads, water, power and other public issues,” he said.
The criticism comes at the close of a session that packed a considerable amount of business into a short span. Over the past few days the House took up the statehood resolution, the withdrawal of Bills relating to legislators’ salaries and pensions, and a range of constituency-level concerns raised by members from both sides of the aisle. The AIP’s argument is that a calendar this compressed leaves little room for the routine scrutiny that Question Hour is meant to provide, since questions that are not reached cannot be answered on the floor.
Question Hour is one of the principal ways in which legislators hold ministers to account, allowing them to seek information and explanations on the working of departments. When only a fraction of the questions received can be taken up, members who have prepared issues on behalf of their constituencies are left without a platform in the House.
Inam urged the Government and the Assembly leadership to establish a substantially longer annual Assembly calendar, with sufficient time for Question Hour, constituency issues, legislative scrutiny and meaningful debate.
“The people need an Assembly that sits longer, questions harder and holds the executive accountable. A strong democracy requires a strong legislature and a strong legislature requires adequate time to do its job,” Inam said.
