JAMMU, Mar 25: Amid ruckus in the House, the BJP legislators on Tuesday staged walkout from the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly over no policy for regularization of daily wagers.
The opposition MLAs raised the issue in the House stating that the government has not framed any policy to regularise the daily wagers and also there is no provision in the budget for them.
Amid shouts, the legislators were demanding a reply from the government.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister in his reply raised fingers at the BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma, who was the then PHE Minister from the Congress party in the previous Omar Abdullah headed government.
“What have you done for the daily wagers when you were the PHE Minister in my Government,” Abdullah asked.
“We have already framed a committee on daily wagers issue and have sought six months’ time,” he said adding, “I have full faith in my Chief Secretary and his team of officers in the Committee that they will come out with a concrete solution.”
Abdullah further said, “I appeal to the protesting daily wagers to resume their duties and by the time let the committee complete its assigned task and submit the report.”
Meanwhile BJP legislators created ruckus and staged walkout.
Notably, in 2014, PHE Minister Sham Lal Sharma (then in Congress), tendered his resignation from the Omar Abdullah ministry citing alleged sabotage of regularisation of daily wagers as a reason.
He at that time claimed that the National Conference ministers were blocking the move because there were more daily wagers from Jammu region.
Later, speaking to media outside the House, BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma said that a committee was constituted in the NC-Cong alliance government on daily wagers issues of which the sitting Legislative Assembly Speaker was the Chairman.
“We will be holding a press conference tomorrow with all documents and proofs we have related to the decision taken and under consideration at the time,” he said.
However, hundreds of protesting daily wagers were prevented from marching towards the Civil Secretariat for the fifth consecutive day.
Police also resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse them, but they staged a sit-in at Shalimar Chowk, near the Civil Secretariat.
