Srinagar, Jan 12: Omar Abdullah, vice-president of the National Conference, harshly criticised the Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday for permitting the filming of a television series within the legislative assembly building, referring to it as a “complete disgrace.” In June of last year, filming for the Hindi-language television series Maharani, which starred Huma Qureshi, took place inside the Jammu assembly building. The political developments in Bihar during the 1990s, when then-chief minister Lalu Prasad—who is currently embroiled in the scandalous fodder scam—installed his wife Rabri Devi as his successor, served as the inspiration for the television series. The former chief minister of the former state of J&K wrote on X, “The true face of ‘the mother of democracy’, where once elected representatives of the people from all parties, religions, backgrounds & parts of J&K legislated on matters of great importance now actors & extras use it as a set for TV dramas.” The speaker expressed his dismay over the “awful state of affairs caused by the BJP-led government in J&K, which has reduced the symbol of democracy, where they once sat and governed.” “They even have a fake CM coming out of an office I was privileged to occupy for six years,” Abdullah stated in his subsequent letter. What a complete shame!The Governor disbanded the J-K legislative assembly on December 20, 2018. The coalition government led by Mehbooba Mufti was reduced to a minority on June 20, 2018, as the 25-member BJP withdrew its support from the former state. Due to a political crisis in the former state, the legislature was placed on suspended animation until December 19, 2018, at which point the governor’s order was imposed. Since August 5, 2019, when J-K and Ladakh were divided into two Union territories, there have not been any assembly elections in J-K. Additionally, the Centre revoked Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave the former state a special status. Ladakh is an assembly-free Union Territory.
