Speaker Rather dares BJP legislators to bring no-confidence motion against him

‘I made decision as speaker of house not by listening to any political party’

SRINAGAR: On the third day of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly session, Speaker Abdur Rahim Rather dared the BJP legislators to bring a vote of no confidence motion against him.
This comes after the protesting BJP legislators refused to take their stages and instead continued the protest in the house after Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary moved a resolution seeking restoration of Article 370, which was passed with a majority vote in the assembly.
“If you have decided not to allow this House to run, what can I do? Take your seats. Don’t shout and sit down,” the Speaker asked the BJP legislators who climbed the Assembly secretary’s table, told BJP legislators.
As the BJP legislators refused to sit, the Speaker Rather dared them to bring a vote of no confidence against him. “Bring the vote of no confidence motion against me; bring it today or tomorrow,” the Speaker dared the protesting legislators.
Later, talking to the media outside the assembly, Speaker Rather said, "I listened to the debate as the speaker of the House. I don’t listen to any particular party here, not even to the National Conference; my role is to observe and ensure that if a motion is presented, I determine how many people support it.
He added that when I see the majority, I act accordingly. If a motion is supported, I declare it so. Today, I listened carefully and noted the support in the House. Alongside the main opposition, even the PDP supported it. Sajad Lone also voted in favour, and several independent members—who are not affiliated with our party—also voted.
The BJP has stated that they will continue to protest until the Speaker apologizes. Apologize for what? For counting votes accurately? They claimed my count was incorrect. They have 28 members, and if you subtract 28 from 90, you have 62 who voted in favour of the resolution. So, where did I go wrong? It’s clear, and everyone in the Assembly knows it, the speaker said.
He further said that BJP members' disruption, including climbing onto the tables, led to the Assembly being stopped three times today. Do you think that was proper? I gave them time to speak, but they didn’t take it. Then, they complained about the vote count. If they had something to say, they could have used their opportunity to speak. But instead, they caused a scene.
As the Speaker, I fulfilled my responsibility fairly, and I think it’s clear to everyone who watched the Assembly proceedings today, he said.