Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed an uproar after BJP MLA Shagun Parihar referred to certain areas of her Kishtwar constituency as having a “Hindu population” and described residents as “Rashtriyawaadi log” (nationalist people), drawing sharp protests from National Conference (NC) legislators.
According to Kashmir Media Service, NC members strongly objected to the communal undertone of the remark, leading to heated exchanges and loud disruptions in the House. Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather had to intervene to restore order and allow proceedings to continue.
The incident highlighted the deepening communal polarization in the occupied territory’s politics, where BJP leaders often employ divisive rhetoric to advance their ideological agenda. Observers noted that the confrontation reflected growing unease over attempts to inject religion-based narratives into IIOJK legislative and political discourse.
The ongoing Autumn Session of the 90-member Assembly began on October 23 and will conclude on October 31. The House is led by the National Conference with 41 seats, followed by the BJP with 28, Congress with 6, PDP with 3, and several smaller parties and independents holding the remaining seats.
