SRINAGAR, September 24, 2026 – The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed stormy scenes on Thursday as a fierce clash erupted between the ruling National Conference (NC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the government’s recent announcement concerning the distribution of free LPG cylinders. The uproar began shortly after the Minister for Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs, Satish Sharma, formally informed the House that the government had approved a scheme to provide six free LPG refills annually, strictly for families categorized under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY). This specific policy implementation immediately triggered strong protests from the opposition benches, who accused the National Conference of reneging on its highly publicized pre-election promises to the electorate.
Leading the opposition’s charge, BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma launched a scathing attack on the treasury benches, demanding accountability for what he termed a “betrayal of the poor.” Sharma vociferously pointed out that during the 2024 assembly elections, the ruling party had explicitly promised to provide 12 free gas cylinders to every household across the Union Territory, not just a restricted segment. “Two years ago you announced 12 free cylinders for every household. Today the Minister says six cylinders will be given to AAY only. This is a mockery and a fraud with the J&K people. You have been completely exposed,” the LoP stated emphatically. As the BJP legislators stood up in protest, slogans such as “Jhooti Sarkaar Hai Hai,” “Yeh dhokha hai,” and “Cylinder chor hai” echoed loudly across the chamber, sharply escalating the tension. Sharma further challenged the government to explain where the promised 24 cylinders for the past two years had gone, demanding transparency on the unfulfilled commitments.
The confrontation rapidly intensified as the Leader of the Opposition expanded his critique, questioning the government’s failure to deliver on other major electoral pledges, including the promised provision of 200 units of free electricity and the creation of one lakh government jobs. In response to the aggressive sloganeering by the BJP members, the NC legislators fiercely countered with their own slogans, leading to a prolonged and chaotic exchange between the treasury and opposition benches that effectively stalled the day’s legislative proceedings. The disruption forced Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to intervene repeatedly, standing up to bring order to the volatile House and urging the agitated legislators to return to their seats. Normalcy and order were only restored after several strict appeals from the Speaker, allowing the autumn session, which has already seen significant political friction, to tentatively resume its scheduled business.
Published by True Roots Media Network