The Rajya Sabha yesterday witnessed uproarious scenes during the zero hour on the issue of the status of Jammu and Kashmir and the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh.
In the first case, defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav gave a suo motu statement and calmed the agitating members from the BJP and the United Front who shouted at each other on the reported statement of the Jammu and Kashmir minister Ajat Shatru.
Shatru is reported to have said that there should be a referendum on the issue of line of control in Jammu and Kashmir. He had also said that Pakistan should be allowed to hold on to the territory occupied by it. Yadav reiterated the governments stand that Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is an integral part of India and we are not going to compromise on this issue. We will not hesitate to make any sacrifice or effort to get the territory back. Heptullah had intervened earlier and pointed out to members that everybody was bound by the parliamentary resolution, which vowed to get vacated the illegally occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan.
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However, in the second case, the defence ministers clarifications on Uttar Pradesh provoked BJP members, when he referred to UPs law and order situation during the BJP rule. Deputy chairperson Najma Heptullah asked Yadav to confine to clarifications and not to level allegations at others. His remarks triggered a spate of noisy protests from BJP members, including Sikander Bakht KR Malkani, Rajnath Singh and Vijay Kumar Malhotra. and Satish Agarwal.
While replying to BJP member Rajnath Singhs allegations recently, that the states law order situation had deteriorated, particularly in the consituencies of the defence minister, Yadav said the BJP itself had failed to maintain the states law and order when it was in power. Singhs allegations came in the context of the BJPs state leader Bramha Dutt Dwivedis murder recently.
Yadav said he was equally hurt over Dwivedis murder and demanded strong action against the assailants. The killing should not be politicised, he added.