Ruling NC holds key party meeting ahead of Budget today, plan counter to opposition attacks

The ruling National Conference held a crucial party meeting of its legislators in Jammu on Sunday where the MLAs were given directions on the functioning of the party in the budget session scheduled to start from Monday and plans to counter attacks from the Opposition.

Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah and party president Farooq Abdullah addressed the meeting and deliberated on the functioning of the house. The 40-day budget session is scheduled to start from March 3 with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's address. On March 7, Omar will present the first budget of his government which was elected to power in October 2024. "Both Farooq sahib and CM helped the first-time legislators to understand how the house functions and what should be the role of the party. We also discussed some of the critical public issues that would be discussed in the house," NC legislator Mubarak Gul told ET.

He said the legislators have been advised to focus on the promises made by the party and the MLAs to the people. The CM emphasised the importance of highlighting the government's developmental achievements and ensuring a smooth passage of financial proposals.


The NC also held a separate joint meeting with its coalition parties, including the Congress and CPM, during which they deliberated on how to counter the main Opposition in the house and other issues of public concern. "Only four-and-a-half months have passed since the formation of the (NC-led) government but many people are questioning the government. They should remember that when the government was formed (on October 16), the budget had already been decided and it was also a big hurdle in the way," Congress legislator Ghulam Ahmad Mir told reporters.

However, the Opposition has also prepared an arsenal of issues like delay in restoration of statehood, unemployment and no release of prisoners and human rights violations on the floor of the house.