Lok Sabha: Hectic activity over drafting resolution on Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi bail

NEW DELHI: Hectic activity, apparently over drafting of a resolution on the release of 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, was witnessed in Lok Sabha today after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj joined the House to condemn it.

Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, having talks with his party colleagues Shashi Tharoor and K C Venugopal and Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai sitting by his side in the opposition bench, drew the attention of Modi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on the other side. Following this, Thambidurai went over to Naidu and also spoke to Modi on the way, as the House continued with Zero Hour.

Soon after, Naidu signalled Tharoor to come over. When Tharoor went to the Treasury benches, Modi stopped him and spoke to him. The Congress leader then sat alongside the External Affairs Minister in the front row of the Treasury benches, with senior BJP leader L K Advani and Thambidurai on one side and the Prime Minister on the other. They were seen discussing and writing something on a piece of paper, apparently the draft of the resolution.

The entire process took less than half an hour, and when it seemed they had reached a finality, Tharoor again had a chat with the Prime Minister before returning to his seat in the Opposition benches.

Thereafter, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan read out the resolution which asked the government to take "all steps in its power, including through its relations with foreign countries, to put pressure on Pakistan to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion."