Govt to come up with 'structured' response on Art 370: Prasad

The government today said it will come up with a "structured" response to the issue of Article 370, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, at an appropriate time amid a raging debate on it sparked by Union Minister Jitendra Singh's remark.
"At the appropriate time, the Government of India, led by Narendra Modi, will come with a response on the issue of Article 370," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
He was responding to questions on the remarks of Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh seeking a debate on the future of Article 370.
Prasad said the decision on giving the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha will be taken by the Speaker and as a Law Minister he was not the right person to answer the query.

"Who will be the Leader of the Opposition is the prerogative of the Speaker. The decision of the Speaker is there, the norms are there. The law states what shall be the entitlement of the Leader of the Opposition...This is the call which has to be taken by the Speaker," he told Karan Thapar on Headlines Today.
Asked on the controversy surrounding the election affidavits of HRD Minister Smriti Irani, he said Congress should pick up bigger issues.

"She has already said that she should be judged by her performance. Her parliamentary skills are better than those with PhDs," he said.

To a question on amending the TRAI Act through an ordinance to allow Nripendra Misra take up the position of Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Prasad said a "technical glitch" in the law was rectified.
He also said since appointment of a Principal Secretary was an emergent situation, the ordinance was promulgated. He said it will be presented as a bill in Parliament.