National Conference legislator Akbar Lone Saturday said his pro-Pakistan slogans in the Assembly were a “reaction” to Speaker Kavinder Gupta’s “anti-Muslim” remarks .

Speaking to reporters, Lone said he was enraged after the Speaker blamed Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslims for  attack on Army camp in Jammu on Saturday. ” The slogans were a reaction to that. I won’t take back my words,” he said.

The BJP, he claimed, had shown that they hate Muslims. “The statement of Speaker Kavinder Gupta shows what they have in their mind,” Lone said.

As soon as the house assembled in Jammu, the legislators, cutting across the party lines, condemned the militant attack on Army’s Sunjwan camp and demanded a statement from the government.

Speaker Kavinder Gupta made some remarks which led to high-pitched sloganeering against Pakistan by the BJP members, according to news agency PTI.

National Conference legislators Javed Rana, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Akbar Lone, Abdul Majid Larmi and others trooped into the Well of the House seeking an apology from the speaker.

Meanwhile, the BJP intensified anti-Pakistan sloganeering and in response, an angry Lone stood up on his seat and shouted pro-Pakistan slogans.

The situation in the house then became more chaotic and Speaker Kavinder Gupta adjourned the House at 10:15 am.

Later, the speaker expunged his remarks.

“With such statements situation will get deteriorated. We should expunge the words used in the House,” Davinder Rana, senior National Conference leader, said.
Revenue Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri said the Speaker should not have attributed the attack to Rohingiya Muslims. “We should not jump to the conclusion when the investigation is still on,” he said, adding, “Jammu and Kashmir is a secular state.”
Following this, Speaker expunged the words and the House resumed normal working.
Meanwhile, the National Conference condemned Lone’s slogans, terming them unacceptable.

Party spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu tweeted, “Just spoke to chief NC Farooq Abdullah sahib. Dr Sahib and entire party is of the unequivocal stand that NC MLA from Sonwari Akbar Lone had spoken out of turn and his slogans in assembly were completely unacceptable to the party.”

Mattu said the National Conference chief stated that Mr Lone should not forget that he belonged to the party which had rejected the two-nation theory.

“The party disowns and condemns his remarks,” he said.

Party’s working president Omar Abdullah, in a separate tweet, said he endorsed the party president’s view and the party would not say anything more on the issue.

“We need to focus on the unfortunate developments in #SunjwanArmyCamp and not get distracted by misplaced slogans,” Omar said in another tweet.