Home minister Rajnath Singh will make a statement before the Lok Sabha at 12 noon after the opposition once again cornered the government over the release of the separatist Masarat Alam by the Jammu and Kashmir government. The issue is likely to dominate the day's proceedings though the Land Bill was to be taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha.
The leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge questioned why 'anti-nationals' like Alam were being released and also questioned why the Prime Minister had made no statement on the matter or Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's statement on elections being permitted in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said it was a serious issue and the government would ask the Home Minister to make a statement.
“The issue is a very serious issue and concerning the entire country and not just the government. I will request the home minister to make a statement on this. The Centre has nothing to do with this,” he said.
Opposition MPs however demanded that the PM should appear to give a statement shouting “Pradhan Mantri jawab do (Prime Minister should answer)”. The Lok Sabha was adjourned for half an hour even as the speaker tried to conduct question hour. After resuming, Mr Naidu said the PM would be present in the house while the Home Minister gave his statement and would intervene if necessary.
