Opposition MPs walk out of LS on Trump issue

Opposition leaders on Tuesday staged a walk out in the Lok Sabha after they failed to get the Prime Minister Narendra Modi respond to the statement of US President Trump that Modi had asked him to mediate in Kashmir issue".

Raking up the issue, Congress and other opposition leaders demanded that Modi must make a statement and they were not satisfied with the government's plan to field Externa;l Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to make a statement on the issue.

Congress member Manish Tiwari said the Prime Minister must address the Lower House and clarify if the US President was lying when he attributed the conversation to him. He also said that Trump's statement on Kashmir issue is like a "blow to the unity of India."

"Yesterday's statement by US President Trump in the presence of Pakistan PM Imran Khan that Prime Minister Modi had asked him to mediate on the Kashmir issue is like a blow to the unity of India. We would like to demand that the PM comes to the House and clarifies if such a conversation took place between the two. If it did not, he should say that the US President is giving false statements and is lying about Kashmir," he said.

During Monday's meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House, Trump had said, "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked me to help with the Kashmir issue; I would love to be a mediator." However, minutes after Trump's statement, India's Ministry of External Affairs clarified that no such request was made Modi to the US President.

It should be noted that the Rajya Sabha today has also been adjourned till 2 pm following an uproar by the Parliamentarians over the same issue.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh adjourned the House after MPs raised slogans demanding a response from the Prime Minister.