Opposition members raise alarm over Hurriyat hardliner Masrat Alam’s release

NEW DELHI: The BJP-led government found itself on the back foot in Parliament on Monday over the controversial release of Hurriyat hardliner Masrat Alam. It failed to convincingly counter the Opposition charge that it was party to the decision of the PDP-BJP regime in Jammu & Kashmir even as worries grew in the treasury benches about the political fallout over the issue.

The Opposition, which had given notices for suspension of Question Hour to discuss the issue, was up in arms as soon as Parliament met for the day. Congress members walked into the well of the House in both Houses and forced an adjournment on the issue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention on the issue in the Lok Sabha — when Home Minister Rajnath Singh made a statement — and his claim that his government was unaware of the Jammu and Kashmir dispensation’s move to free Alam did not impress the Opposition. While the Prime Minister added that the Centre has asked for clarification on the matter from the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government, the Congress-led Opposition demanded, “Either Centre send Alam back to jail or BJP pull-out of the J&K coalition government.”

Intervening after the home minister’s statement in the Lok Sabha, the prime minister said, “I am in agreement with the outrage that is being voiced across the nation and in Parliament...whatever action has been taken in J&K has been taken without consulting the coalition partner (BJP) or with the central government,” Modi said.

Although at one point Modi became aggressive, telling the Opposition not to “teach him nationalism”, he adopted a conciliatory tone in his speech generally. He recalled party ideologue Shyama Prasad Mukherjee’s “sacrifice” (who died in Kashmir jail while agitating against Article 370), but accepted that the Centre too had to take some blame since BJP was part of the Jammu & Kashmir government. Modi assured the House that his “government will not take any step that undermines the unity of the country”. “We have asked for a clarification on the Masrat Alam issue and when it comes we will inform you,” he added.

Earlier, Singh told the House, “National security and safety will not be compromised. The Centre will be sending a strong advisory to the state government if the clarification isn’t satisfactory.”

The Opposition was more aggressive in the Rajya Sabha where it outnumbers the government. Singh repeated his statement and said the Centre was not satisfied with the reply it had received from the state on the issue. Though the PM was also present in the Rajya Sabha when Singh read out the same statement, he chose not to speak.

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said Alam was a separatist and while the process of reconciliation initiated by the new government in the state was welcome, action should be taken against masterminds of unrest like Alam. Members from other Opposition parties sought to know if the decision was part of the common minimum programme of the PDP-BJP government.

Government sources maintained that the release was inevitable as there were no pending cases against Alam.