JDU walks out of LS; Lallan Singh says don't support interfering with J-K's special status

Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday walked out of the Lok Sabha after party leader Rajiv Ranjan "Lalan" Singh said that they do not support interfering with the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir.

"We would have supported the government's decision had they brought strict laws to counter terrorism. Our party does not support interfering with the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the constitution," Lalan Singh said in the Lower House of the Parliament.

The JDU leaders then walked out of the House to register their protest against the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Bill, 2019, which Home Minister Amit Shah had slated for discussion on Monday.

Singh, on the other hand, also lauded the central government's efforts to counter terrorism.

"Every 3-4 months we used to discuss terrorism in the House and pledged to take strict action. However, since 2014, be it because of the surgical strike or aerial strike, there has not been any big terrorist attack in the country," he said.

"The centre should focus on fighting terrorism instead," Singh added.

The central government in its decision on Monday scrapped the Article 370 of the Constitution, which conferred special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and barred people from the rest of the country from buying property there.