Article 370 debate in Lok Sabha: The debate over abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed fireworks fly thick and fast between opposition and treasury benches on Tuesday. Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury scored a self goal in the House as he sought to describe Article 370 as an issue which is not an internal matter.
There was a huge uproar from the treasury benches as soon as Chowdhury asked Home Minister Amit Shah to clarify the government’s stand and wondered how the issue of Article 370 was not being considered as a bilateral one.
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“You say that it is an internal matter. But it is being monitored since 1948 by the UN, is that an internal matter? We signed the Shimla Agreement & Lahore Declaration, was that an internal matter or bilateral?” Chowdhury said.
“Can J&K still be an internal matter? We want to know. Entire Congress party wants to be enlightened by you,” he went on to add while citing a recent remark from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in which he asked the US not to meddle in Kashmir as it was a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan.
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Amit Shah immediately stood up to respond to Chowdhury and asked the Congress to clarify its stand on Kashmir. He asked the Congress whether it wants the United States to interfere in the matter.
“Jaan de denge iske liye (We’ll lay down our lives for it) When I say Jammu and Kashmir it also includes Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The boundaries of J&K as mentioned in our constitution includes PoK and Aksai Chin,” Amit Shah said amid a loud thumping of desks from the NDA members.
This is not for the first time Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has stoked a controversy with his remarks on the floor of the Lower House. Speaking during the debate in the Lok Sabha on the ‘Motion of Thanks’ to the President’s address, the Congress MP from Berhampore had used the word ‘naali’ (drain) to refer to PM Narendra Modi. After a huge backlash from the BJP, Chowdhury apologised blaming the controversy on his bad Hindi.
“My Hindi is not good as I am not a Hindi-speaking person. By ‘naali’, I meant a channel. I am ready to apologise to the Prime Minister…I got enraged when BJP member tried to humiliate Swami Vivekananda by comparing him with Narendra Modi. That was vehemently opposed by me. That’s why I used that analogy,” he had told reporters.