The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly's much-anticipated autumn session descended into chaos on its very first day, as opposition lawmakers disrupted proceedings and the Speaker issued a stern warning against what was described as gundagardi — a colloquial term for intimidation or unruly conduct — inside the legislative chamber.
The session, which began on Monday morning at the Summer Sessions House in Srinagar, saw opposition members refuse to take their seats and loudly protest from the backbenches almost immediately after the Speaker called the house to order. The protesters raised slogans and held up placards, objecting to what they termed a lack of transparency in the administration's functioning and alleging that several critical issues affecting the union territory had been deliberately kept off the agenda.
The Speaker, attempting to restore decorum, reminded members of the constitutional duties expected within the house and stated firmly that no one would be permitted to undermine the proceedings through disruptive tactics. The remark drew sharp retorts from opposition ranks, who accused the ruling dispensation of trying to silence legitimate dissent.
Political analysts noted that the acrimony on Day 1 reflected deeper fractures in theAssembly's landscape since the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into a union territory in 2019. With a coalition government now in place and the opposition still consolidating its strength, tensions between the two sides have frequently spilled over into public confrontations.
The chaos also coincided with mounting public anxiety over livelihood issues, unemployment among youth, and concerns about the pace of development projects across the region. Opposition leaders argued that these matters deserved urgent discussion in the house, while the government maintained that procedural formalities must be followed before any substantive business could be taken up.
Several bills and administrative matters are expected to feature on the session's agenda once order is restored, but the disruption on Day 1 has already cast a shadow over what was meant to be a productive gathering. Lawmakers on both sides have urged calm, and whispers of a possible adjournment to allow tempers to cool have circulated among insiders.
Senior political figures have stressed that the assembly must function as a legitimate forum for debate, even when disagreements run deep, to maintain public trust in democratic institutions in the strategically sensitive region.
