In Jammu, on February 9, the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed disruption after a PDP leader accused the government of putting the Union Territory in a debt trap by introducing the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme.
PDP legislator Waheed Ur Rehman Para, along with his party colleagues and Independent MLA Sheikh Khurshid, challenged the National Conference, leading to heated exchanges.
Mubarak Gul, who was presiding over the session, made repeated attempts to control the situation, eventually adjourning the assembly half an hour before its scheduled end.
During the disruption, BJP members stood up and staged a walkout, accusing the chair of not allowing party members to speak on the budget. Some of them also attempted to enter the well but were stopped by security personnel.
Para accused the government of putting Jammu and Kashmir in a debt trap through the SASCI scheme.
“The Chief Minister (Omar Abdullah) and NC MLAs are boasting about bringing the SASCI scheme to the UT. This is not a welfare scheme, but a debt trap that puts J&K at risk for industrialists,” Para said during the budget discussion.
He added that the National Conference had a mandate to protect J&K's interests after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and to restore the state with all its safeguards.
Para urged the CM to reconsider the scheme, warning that J&K should not face the same challenges as “failed states like Sri Lanka and Pakistan”.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary refuted the allegations, accusing opposition leaders of “playing to the gallery” and politicizing a financial assistance framework intended for development.
While the session was being managed, BJP members objected and attempted to enter the well, claiming they were not given adequate time to speak. They eventually withdrew.
As the disruption continued, Gul adjourned the House half an hour before the scheduled time.
PDP legislator Para raised concerns about governance and budgetary performance, stating that the people had high expectations from the NC government, but Jammu and Kashmir was facing "unprecedented times."
He acknowledged that the NC government faced significant challenges, as had past governments, but emphasized that public expectations remained high.
Referring to the budget of Rs 1.40 lakh crore, he stated that nearly Rs 40,000 crore was allocated for revenue expenditure, while capital expenditure was around Rs 7,600 crore.
Para questioned whether the government could spend nearly Rs 1 lakh crore within this short period.
He claimed that only about 12 per cent of the expenditure had been achieved so far, and that around 100 projects had zero spending, including in critical sectors like agriculture, horticulture, health, and education.
He argued that allocations were meaningless without addressing institutional bottlenecks. He demanded that the government explain the reasons for the lack of spending, citing dual power structures or administrative paralysis.
Highlighting the social crisis, he stated that nearly 70 per cent of the population was young, with about 32 per cent reportedly suffering from depression.
He also demanded the refund of approximately Rs 50 crore collected as fees, questioning how families could afford such amounts given the high unemployment rate in J&K.
Para raised concerns about substance abuse, stating that around 5 lakh people were affected by drug addiction and nearly 4 lakh by alcohol abuse, and criticized the budget for failing to prioritize this issue.
He also described cancer as a "silent pandemic," claiming thousands of deaths without adequate response, and questioned the government's silence on the matter.
The legislator further raised concerns about the closure of 215 schools linked to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, affecting nearly 50,000 students, and demanded a detailed explanation for the decision.
He pointed out that there was no allocation for a National Law University in the budget and criticized the government for failing to take a decision on setting up deemed universities in all 20 districts as an effort to prevent targeted attacks on Kashmiri students outside J&K and the alleged failure of the government to protect them.
He also raised concerns about rising diesel and transport costs, mounting financial pressure on the population, and the lack of focused support for orphans and other vulnerable sections.