NEW DELHI: Parliament is likely to see protests on Monday with the opposition demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the current situation in the Kashmir Valley. Accusing the Centre of spreading rumours in J&K to scare the people, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “the PM has a duty to come and make a statement in parliament. Article 370 acts as a bridge between Kashmir and rest of the country and it should not be broken.”
The Centre has increased the presence of forces in the Valley citing terror threat. The Amarnath Yatra has been curtailed for the first time, and tourists have been asked to immediately leave the Valley. Former home minister P Chidambaram said that the Union home ministry is up to some “misadventure”. “I won’t anticipate what misadventure they are up to, but the Home Ministry is preparing for a misadventure,” Chidambaram said in response to queries on rumours of trifurcation of state.
The CPI (M) also called upon the government to provide a full explanation for the steps being taken in J&K and desist from any “political adventurism” which will have grave consequences for the country. “A serious situation has developed in Jammu & Kashmir as a consequence of the recent steps taken by the central government. The deployment of an additional contingent of paramilitary forces — amounting to 35,000 troops — has raised questions about their intended purpose.” The Left party questioned failures of the Centre to take into confidence political parties in the border state.