High-Voltage Drama in J&K Assembly Over Salary Hike: Omar Abdullah Pulls Back 2 Key Bills Amid Sharp BJP Pushback
The Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed stormy scenes on Tuesday over proposed legislative measures seeking significant salary increments for lawmakers, culminating in the dramatic withdrawal of two major pay hike bills by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The debate sparked intense exchanges between treasury benches and opposition members as three bills concerning salary revisions for the Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers, sitting MLAs, and pension enhancements for former legislators were tabled for consideration.
Key Developments At A Glance
- Bills Withdrawn: The J&K Ministers and Ministers of State Salaries Act, 1956 and The Salaries and Allowances of Members of the J&K State Legislature Act, 1960.
- Bill Passed: The J&K State Legislature Members’ Pension Act, 1984 (passed unanimously by voice vote).
- The Trigger: Surprise objections raised by BJP legislators citing daily wagers’ plight.
The Standoff & ‘That Smile’
The friction began the moment Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rose to move The J&K Ministers and Ministers of State Salaries Act, 1956. As the Chief Minister moved the draft with a faint smile, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather promptly quipped that his expression “indicated something else.”
The remark quickly proved prophetic. Leading the resistance, senior BJP legislator Sham Lal Sharma objected to the proposed hikes and called for the immediate withdrawal of all three bills. Sharma argued that publicizing the salary committee’s recommendations had subjected legislators to unwarranted public scrutiny and humiliation.
Sharma contended that the administration’s primary fiscal responsibility lay with long-pending public grievances, stating that exchequer resources should instead be allocated toward regularizing daily wagers, honoring contractual workers, and granting risk allowances to eligible personnel.
“I was smiling because I knew this would get politicised. If you speak to them privately, not a single member is opposed to it. They will take the hike outside, but pretend to oppose it inside. I will not allow anyone to play politics over this.”
— Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of J&KTreasury Bench Hits Back
Mounting a stern counter-attack, Chief Minister Abdullah declared that he would never permit double standards in the House. He underscored that salary enhancements could only move forward under total unanimity, warning: “If this bill is not passed unanimously, then it will be difficult for me to pass it.”
Cornering the BJP further, Omar pointed out that senior BJP member Surjit Singh Slathia chaired the very panel tasked with reviewing legislator salaries.
“Why was the concern for daily wagers not reflected in the committee’s final report? How many BJP members sat on that panel? Not a single one submitted a note of dissent against the hike,” Omar asserted. “Had they been sincere about daily wagers, why didn’t they regularise them prior to 2024?”
Omar reiterated that he had personally harbored reservations regarding the hike and questioned its necessity from the outset, tabling it only due to collective pressure from various legislators.
Tempers Flare in the Well; Pension Bill Carried
As AAP legislator Mehraj Malik attempted to intervene, Speaker Rather disallowed further debate, noting that the Leader of the House had already recommended withdrawal.
National Conference MLA Javaid Baig launched a direct volley at the opposition benches, claiming BJP legislators were privately dissatisfied because they sought an even steeper enhancement to ₹3 lakh per month.
Following intense sloganeering and procedural wrangling, the House approved the formal withdrawal of both salary and allowance bills for ministers and sitting members by voice vote.
In contrast, the third bill—proposing an upward revision under The J&K State Legislature Members’ Pension Act, 1984 for ex-legislators—was adopted smoothly via voice vote with cross-party backing, including the BJP.