Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said a decision on releasing detained political leaders, including three former chief ministers, in Jammu and Kashmir will be taken by the local administration and the central government will not interfere in the matter.
The minister's statement came after Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asked the government when political leaders, including sitting member and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, would be released.
"There is no need to keep anyone (leaders) in jail even for a day more than that is required. As and when the local administration feels the time is appropriate, they will be released."
"There will be no interference from our side," Shah said.
Taking a dig at Congress, the home minister tweeted: "Situation in Kashmir valley is completely normal. I can't make Congress's condition normal, because they had predicted bloodshed after abrogation of article 370. Nothing of that sort happened, not one bullet was fired."
Shah also said that while Farooq is in custody for six months, the Congress had kept his father in custody for 11 years.
"Farooq Abdullah's father was kept in jail for 11 years by the Congress. We don't want to follow them and as soon as the administration decides, they will be released," he said.
He further said all leaders should be concerned about political leaders in the valley, he is also concerned but if leaders are more worried about people of Kashmir it will send a better message.
Underlining that the situation is completely normal in the valley, Shah said, "99.5 per cent students of eleventh class sat for exams there, but for Adhir Ranjan ji this is not normalcy, seven lakh people availed OPD services in Srinagar, Section 144 removed from everywhere. But for Adhir ji only parameter for normalcy is political activity."
Earlier Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy, responding to a supplementary question by Sridhar Kotagiri, said stone-pelting incidents have decreased substantially in 2019.
In 2018, 802 such incidents were reported which reduced to 544 in 2019, while only 190 stone-pelting incidents were reported since August 5, Reddy said.
All leading English, Urdu newspapers and TV channels are working in the valley, he said.
(With agency input)