NEW DELHI: Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury faced flak and left his party embarrassed with his remarks suggesting that Jammu and Kashmir is not India’s internal matter.
Participating in the debate on the J&K reorganisation Bill on Tuesday, he said, “You say it is an internal matter. The UN has been monitoring the situation since 1948. Then there is the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. Whether this is a bilateral matter or an internal matter. (Foreign Minister) S Jaishankar told his US counterpart Mike Pompeo about Kashmir. Can it still be an internal matter after that?”
Chowdhury’s comments left, Sonia Gandhi, seated right next to him, flummoxed and shocked and she was seen looking back and gesturing at Rahul Gandhi. Rahul was also seen shaking his head slightly. Chowdhury’s remarks triggered protests from the treasury benches, with Home Minister Amit Shah categorically stating that Jammu and Kashmir “is an integral and inseparable part of India”.
CWC meet on Kashmir
The Congress Working Committee met on Tuesday and discussed the Kashmir issue. Top leaders deliberated on the party’s strategy on J&K going forward. The meeting was attended by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among others.