The longest sitting, the shortest delivery: Jammu and Kashmir’s Assembly in deadlock

By Raqif Makhdoomi*

The budget session in Jammu and Kashmir has left many citizens disillusioned. To understand this disappointment, one must recall the election campaigns of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC). The party secured a historic mandate, raising expectations that long-standing issues would finally be addressed. Yet, two years into its tenure, many of those promises remain unfulfilled.

During the campaign, JKNC leaders pledged to deliver justice to the people, particularly on the issue of “Rationalization of Reservation.” A committee was formed to submit a report within six months, but despite the passage of two years, no progress has been made. Unreserved-category job seekers, who mobilized support for JKNC, now feel betrayed. Their emotional investment helped secure the party’s victory, but their concerns remain sidelined.

The Assembly itself has become a stage for confrontation rather than resolution. The case of Dr. Bashir Veeri illustrates this. Once a defender of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in his constituency, Veeri broke down while pleading for rationalization of reservation. His appeal was dismissed by party leadership, with even the Deputy Chief Minister dismissing his efforts as “drama.” Such exchanges raise doubts about whether the Assembly is committed to addressing public grievances or simply focused on completing its tenure.

Promises made during elections now appear distant. Private members’ bills have been rejected or withdrawn after vague assurances. Daily wagers, assured of regularization, continue to wait. When PDP MLA Waheed ur Rahman Parra introduced a bill to regularize them, it was rejected on partisan grounds. The government’s response—shifting blame to the PDP-BJP alliance of the past—has become routine. Citizens expected corrective action, not excuses.

Major promises such as restoring Article 370, statehood, and addressing the Public Safety Act have faded from discourse. Even issues within the government’s immediate reach, like rationalizing reservation, remain stalled. Bills addressing everyday concerns—land rights, school uniform costs—have been dismissed, while the passage of a private university bill was celebrated despite pending grants for institutions like the National Law University.

The Assembly held 22 sittings during this budget session, placing Jammu and Kashmir among the states with the longest sessions. Yet the question remains: did these sittings address the pressing issues of the people? The evidence suggests otherwise. Citizens are left with the impression that the government is more concerned with defending its majority than fulfilling its commitments.

The people of Jammu and Kashmir voted with hope and emotion. Two years later, those hopes appear shattered. Whether the Assembly will rise above confrontation and begin to deliver remains uncertain.

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*Law student and a human rights advocate

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