Release of J&K leaders on administration call: Shah

Asserting that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is "normal" and not a single death due to police firing was reported after abrogation of Article 370, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that jailed political leaders will be released after the Union Territory administration decides on the situation.

"As far as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, it is completely normal. But, I cannot normalise the situation of Congress. Because, they had said that there will be a bloodbath after abrogation of Article 370 and the government would not be able to lift curfew from there for years. But, nothing happened," Shah said while replying to a query raised by Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdury.

Shah said this while responding to a supplementary question by Chowdhury, who mocked at the government's explanation on the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir as informed by Shah's junior G. Kishan Reddy (Minister of State for Home).

Chowdhary had said: "There is a Ram Rajya in J&K as per them. All political leaders have been detained. Our MPs are not being allowed to visit there, but MPs from outside the country are being allowed to visit there. You (Amit Shah) had promised in this House that everything will be normal in Jammu and Kashmir."

Amid pandemonium created by the Congress, the minister said 99.5 per cent students participated in the recently concluded exams in Jammu and Kashmir.

On Chowdhury's question that "political activity" will be seen as normalcy, Shah hit back at the leader, saying: "He doesn't consider normalcy when students participate in exams, over seven lakh OPD patients get health facilities, Section 144 is withdrawn from all police stations, no one gets killed in any police firing and traffic flow is normal.

"He only considers political activity as normalcy. As far as political activity is concerned, over the Panchayat elections took place which was not done so far in their (Congress) regime. Later, all Block Development Council elections happened peacefully and over 95 per cent voting took place. Is this not political?" Shah said.

"As far as the release of political leaders from jail is concerned, I want to say that we don't want to keep anyone in jail for a single day. Whenever the administration in Jammu and Kashmir decides, they (politicians) will be released."

Shah mentioned that these leaders are in jail only for five-six months, but Farooq Abdullah's father Sheikh Abdullah was put in jail by the Congress for 11 years when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister.

"We don't want to follow their (Congress) path. Whenever J&K administration finds feasible condition, it will release them. We don't interfere in the functioning of the administration like them (Congress).

"We should be worried about the condition of some leaders who are in jail in Jammu & Kashmir, they do it and we also do it. But a message should go to the people of the valley that Congress party worries about them and not only of political activity," Shah said.

Earlier, Minister of State Reddy, while answering to a query on the infiltration of militants said: "Neighbouring country is spreading rumours in J&K since the abrogation of Article 370 to destablise law and order there. But, the situation is completely normal. We have taken many steps considering infiltration and all paramilitary forces as well as Army and J&K Police have been working in a coordinated way."

Reddy said that not a single person was killed in Jammu and Kashmir in police firing after the abrogation of Article 370 from the state and the curfew has been removed from 144 out of 195 police stations.

"Over 99 per cent students participated in exams, 95 per cent voting was registered in the Panchayat elections, only 190 incidents of stone peltings were noted, over seven lakh OPD patients were treated this year, over 20 lakh postpaid mobile services were functioning, and over 2.50 lakh people were getting internet facility."

"All TV channels are functioning, nearly all shops are opening, and over 52,000 court cases have been disposed," Reddy had said.IANS