NEW DELHI: The Treasury bench led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday sought to corner Anantnag lawmaker Hasnain Masoodi from Jammu and Kashmir when the National Conference MP said that Late Syama Prasad Mookerjeehad also endorsed Article 370.
Mr Shah was the first to contest Mr Masoodi’s claim and said in the name of participating in the debate, no member has a right to spread any falsehood.
“Just because Late Mookerjee was in the Cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru, it does not mean Mookerjee endorsed the idea of Article 370,” Mr Shah said amid thumping of desks by treasury members. He added that constituent assembly took up the task of framing Constitution and the matters did not come to the constituent assembly through the Cabinet. The practice came into being only after the Constitution was adopted, he said.
Mr Rajnath Singh, Deputy Leader of the House, demanded that the NC member should “authenticate” his statement with documents and references and if he cannot do so, he should apologise to the House.
Participating in the debate in Lok Sabha on Statutory Resolution on Article 370 vis-a-vis Jammu and Kashmir and other relevant draft laws, Mr Masoodi said only time will decide whether abrogation of Article 370 calls for celebration or otherwise.
The Anantnag lawmaker said, “ You cannot imagine how far the impact of your decision will go.” He said the elected government was not in place in Jammu and Kashmir which should have been consulted. He said that people in Jammu and Kashmir were well off, there were no starvation deaths or farmer’s suicide. “Our autonomy and identity is very dear to us,” he said.
(AGENCIES)
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