Srinagar, May 15, 2026: Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma on Thursday accused the ruling National Conference of spreading “misleading narratives” to justify what he termed as the Speaker’s “unjust and unfair” allocation of committee chairmanships in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
Responding sharply to the National Conference’s claims regarding the distribution of committee chairs in Parliament, Sharma said the ruling party was selectively presenting facts to shield the Speaker from criticism.
He clarified that in Parliament, 62.5 percent of department-related standing committee chairmanships were allotted to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as a whole and not solely to the BJP.
“The NC is conveniently hiding the fact that 15 out of 24 committee chairmanships were given to the NDA alliance, while nine were allotted to opposition parties. If the same principle of proportional representation is followed in the J&K Assembly, then three committee chairs should go to the BJP, five to ruling parties, and one either to independents as a bloc or another opposition party,” Sharma stated.
The BJP leader alleged that the Speaker had allotted nearly 89 percent of Assembly committee chairmanships to the ruling alliance and its allies, ignoring the strength and representation of opposition parties in the House.
He further said that parliamentary traditions and conventions should guide the process of appointing committee heads in Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Sharma noted that its chairmanship traditionally remains with the opposition in Parliament and the same practice has also been followed in J&K. However, he alleged that the opposition was sidelined while appointing heads of six non-financial committees.
Sharma also pointed out that the Committee on Government Assurances in Parliament is currently headed by an opposition member, underscoring the need for balanced representation in legislative oversight bodies.
The remarks come amid growing political friction between the BJP and the ruling alliance over the functioning of the Assembly and distribution of key legislative responsibilities.
