Ishtiyaq Kar
Srinagar Nov 4 (KINS): Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday urged Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather, to ensure equal treatment for all political parties.
“You are the custodian of this House, and we hope you will treat everyone equally. Every member, whether from the ruling party or the opposition, should have equal opportunities to speak. I assure you of our full cooperation. We are here to address the issues of the people,” Omar said, according to news agency KINS, in his address following Rather’s assumption of the Speaker’s role.
BJP legislator and Leader of the Opposition, Sunil Sharma, also pledged full support to the Speaker in running the House smoothly. Senior Congress leader G A Mir joined in welcoming Rather to his new position.
CPI (M) Legislator M Y Tarigami said Speaker represents all legislators in the House.
Earlier on Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elected senior NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. The session commenced at 10:30 a.m., with Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, and Cooperatives, Javid Ahmed Dar, nominating Abdul Rahim Rather for the Speaker’s post, which was seconded by Arjun Singh Raju. According to news agency KINS, Rather was unanimously elected by the House as Speaker.
Rather has previously served as Jammu and Kashmir’s Finance Minister multiple times. Following his election, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir is scheduled to address the Assembly at 11:30 a.m. (KINS).
