Farooq’s detention, situation in Kashmir take centre stage as LS sees stormy start

TNN Bureau. Updated: 11/19/2019 10:03:37 AM Front Page

PDP MPs protest in Parl; Oppn hits out at govt for EU MPs visit

JAMMU: The opening day of the Winter Session of parliament began on Monday on a stormy note with the opposition targeting the government over the absence of veteran politician and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, even as the members termed NC chief’s detention illegal and demanded that he be allowed to attend the House.
The Winter Session of Lok Sabha witnessed with protests by the Congress and other Opposition members over various issues while they also raised the issue of MPs not being allowed to visit Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of its special status, whereas parliamentarians from Europe have been taken to the state, with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury describing the EU delegation as "bhade ke tattu" (hirelings).
Within minutes of commencement of the Question Hour, around 30 members from the Congress trooped into the Well, demanding Abdullah and others be released, and shouting slogans on the "instability" in Kashmir.
Congress was joined by leaders of National Conference, Nationalist Congress Party, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Dravida Munetra Kazhgam.
Soon after the national anthem sounded in the Lok Sabha, members started shouting about Farooq’s absence and demanded that government should either release him or Home Minister should make a statement in the House.
The Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said: Let the new members take their oaths first.
But this was ineffective to control opposition’s rage with MPs from the Congress, NC and the DMK raising slogans like "vipaksh par hamla bandh karo, Farooq Abdullah ji ko riha karo (Stop attacking the opposition, free Farooq Abdullah)" and approaching the Well.
Farooq has been held under detention at his residence in Srinagar since the centre's decision on Article 370 in August and charged with "disturbing public order" under the strict Public Safety Act.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury then spoke out strongly on the situation in Kashmir, criticising the government for allowing a private delegation of European Union MPs to visit after preventing its own parliamentarians the same.
"Our leader Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to visit (Jammu and Kashmir), several MPs were sent back...whereas bhade ke tatu from Europe were being taken there. Isn't it an insult to all MPs. I want to ask MPs of ruling alliance don't they think it was their insult," Chowdhury said.
On the detention of Abdullah, he said the NC supremo has been under detention for 108 days and it is his constitutional right to attend the House.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Chowdhary said it was an "atrocity" not to allow the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister to attend Lok Sabha proceedings.
"It has been 108 days today since Farooq Abdullah-ji was detained. Yeh kya zulm ho raha hai (what kind of injustice is happening)? He should be brought to the Parliament. It is his constitutional right," he added.
The Speaker said when Home Minister Amit Shah informed the House in the previous session that Abdullah was not under detention, he was correct. The written information of his detention was received later by the Lok Sabha secretariat.
He said now he has written information that Abdullah is under detention.
DMK leader TR Baalu sought Birla's intervention in the matter, saying the speaker is the custodian of the House and should ensure that members are allowed to attend the House.
"What has happened with Farooq is illegal...You are custodian of the House...You have to make intervention," Baalu said.
The DMK leader also said that same is the case with PDP leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and noted that her daughter has said that the PDP leader has been manhandled.
Making a passionate appeal that Abdullah be allowed to attend the House, National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi said the former chief minister was under preventive custody not under judicial custody and it can be revoked by the Speaker's order.
"Farooq Sahab represents Srinagar and it is right of the 20 lakh people of Srinagar that their voice be heard in the House...I have proof that he is not in judicial custody, he is in preventive custody. Your one order can revoke it," Masoodi said while addressing the Chair.
Similar sentiments on Abdullah's arrest were made by TMC leaders as well.
Amid chaotic scenes and shouting parliamentarians, the Trinamool Congress then submitted an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha over Farooq Abdullah's release.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a strong critic of the centre's Article 370 decision, said her party demanded that both Abdullah and his son Omar, as well as Mehbooba Mufti, be freed immediately in the interests of democracy.
Chowdhury also raised the issue of withdrawal of Special Protection Group cover of former prime minister Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi family.
He said as former prime minister, late Atal Bihari Vajpayee remained under SPG protection.
Earlier, within minutes of commencement of the Question Hour, around 30 members from the Congress trooped into the Well, shouting slogans and demanding that the government stop attacking the Opposition as well as foisting false cases.
The members along with those from the National Conference also raised the issue of detention of Farooq Abdullah.
The issue was also raised by RSP leader N K Premachandran when he was given a chance to ask a supplementary question related to the Finance Ministry.
"Farooq Abdullah is not in the House. The House is not in order. I am not in a position to ask any question," he said.
Meanwhile, the Congress has also called on the government to allow its leader, P Chidambaram, to attend parliament. The former Finance and Home Minister, who tweeted this morning urging his party to hold the ruling BJP to account over "utter mismanagement" of the economy, is currently in Delhi's Tihar Jail in connection with the INX Media case.
Meanwhile, PDP Rajya Sabha members Mir Fayaz and Nazir Ahmed Laway held a protest inside the Parliament premises on Monday against scrapping of special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Holding placards against the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370, the two MPs urged the government to "respect" the special status of the region.
"Bring back normalcy in Kashmir. UT status not acceptable," one of the placards read while another said "detentions are no solution".
The government on August 5 had revoked the special status granted to the erstwhile state under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.
During the last session of the Parliament when the decision to abrogate Article 370 was taken, the two MPs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had protested and even attempted to tear the Constitution - for which they were reprimanded by the Speaker.
PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti continues to remain under house arrest since the August 5 decision of the Centre.


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