Who is Abdul Rahim Rather; seven-time MLA unanimously elected Speaker of J&K Assembly

National Conference veteran and seven-time MLA Abdul Rahim Rather was unanimously elected Speaker of the first Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

As soon as the House met at 10:30 am, 78-year-old Rather, who served as a minister in the ministry of Sheikh Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, was elected Speaker after the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj. Jawaid Ahmad Dar made a motion to elect him to the coveted post. The proposal was supported by NC MP Ramban Arjun Singh Raju.

As opposition parties decided not to contest the post, interim Speaker Mubarak Gul announced his election as Speaker.

Rather previously served as Finance Minister of Jammu and Kashmir several times. Soon after his election, House Leader Omar Abdullah and Opposition Leader Sunil Sharma escorted him to the Speaker’s chair.

Omar hopes the speaker will be fair to all parties

Minutes after his election, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called on Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to ensure fair treatment of all political parties.

He stressed the importance of equal opportunities for all members, regardless of their affiliation with the ruling party or the opposition.

“You are the custodian of this chamber and we hope that you will treat everyone equally. Every member, whether from the ruling party or the opposition, should have an equal opportunity to speak out. I assure you of our full cooperation. We are here to solve the problems of the people,” Omar said in his address after Rather took office as speaker.

LoP provides full support to the speaker

BJP legislator and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma also expressed full support to the Speaker for ensuring smooth functioning of the House. Joining in welcoming Rather to his new position was senior Congress leader G.A. World. CPI(M) legislator M.Y. Tarigami stressed that the Speaker represents all legislators in the House of Representatives.

Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition (LOO) Sunil Sharma lauded the experience of newly elected Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather and assured full cooperation from the Opposition while seeking a neutral stance from the Speaker.

“Sir, I congratulate you on your election as Speaker. You have extensive experience working in this chamber. You have been in the government and also in the opposition. On behalf of the opposition, I assure you of our full support. We will all have something to learn. from your experience,” Sharma said while addressing the House.

The Opposition needs more attention than the Treasury Benches. “There is young blood in the opposition camp, but despite this, we assure you that we will maintain discipline and follow the rules,” Sharma added.