NEW DELHI: Moments after the resolution to revoke Article 370 and a Bill to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir was on Tuesday moved by Home Minister Amit Shah in the Lok Sabha, the House witnessed a spat between him and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Rising from his seat to make his initial remarks, Chowdhury wanted to know from Shah the government's position on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) while referring to a 1994 resolution by the House stating that the entire Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India.
He said the government had thrown rules and regulations out of the window by proposing to create two Union territories out of Jammu and Kashmir.
"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 Shimla Agreement & Lahore Declaration, what that an internal matter or bilateral? S Jaishankar told Mike Pompeo a few days before that Kashmir is a bilateral matter, so don't interfere in it. Can J&K still be an internal matter? We want to know. Entire Congress party wants to be enlightened by you, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said in Lok Sabha.
This provoked the Home Minister who told Chowdhury not to make a "general statement", saying Parliament was the biggest panchayat of the country and its proceedings were being watched by people across the world.
"General statements should not be made. This is the biggest panchayat of the country. Please tell us which rules have been violated. I will respond to them," the Minister said, raising his pitch.
The matter did not stop there. The Congress leader further sought clarification on how the United Nations was monitoring Kashmir if the region was an internal issue.
Shah instantly intervened and sought to know what was the Congress stand on whether the UN can monitor Kashmir.
The Minister repeatedly asked Chowdhury to make his party's stand clear on the issue whether he was supporting abrogation of Article 370 and the Bill or not.
The verbal altercation ended after Chowdhury said he was only seeking clarification and information from the government.