M A I N   N E W S

Payoff row: NC MLAs move privilege motion against VK Singh
Ehsan Fazili/ TNS

Srinagar, September 30
The ruling National Conference legislators today moved privilege motions in both Houses of the state legislature against the former Army Chief Gen (Retd) V K Singh for his comments about making payments to ministers of Jammu and Kashmir.

Contrary to the rules and convention, the obituary references on the opening day of the Assembly session turned into debate and discussion on the remarks of the former Army Chief and the recent incidents of violence across the state.

Gen (retd) VK Singh had recently alleged that payments have been made by the Army to state ministers for “winning people’s hearts” adding that the agriculture minister and Congress leader Ghulam Hassan Mir had received Rs 1.19 crore from the Army.

As the MLAs, cutting across the party lines, expressed concern over the killings, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mir Saifulla intervened, saying that it was in violation of the rules and convention. He urged Speaker Mubarak Gul to ask the members to restrict their speeches to the obituary references.

While the Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Tara Chand concluded the discussion on the obituary references, senior NC leader and Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather informed the House that a privilege motion against the former Army Chief had been submitted to the Speaker.