JD(U) walks out of Lok Sabha to protest govt's JK measures

The JD(U) on Tuesday reminded its ally BJP of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance's decision to not tinker with Article 370 to register its protest against the Narendra Modi government's move to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir's special status.

The party's leader in Lok Sabha Rajiv Ranjan, better known as Lalan Singh, said in the House that the JD(U) cannot be a part of the passage of resolutions and bills concerning the state. "You should not have touched on this controversial issue," he told treasury benches.

The Bihar-based party then walked out of the House.

The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led party has maintained that its stand is in line with its traditional stand to oppose any move to repeal or weaken Article 370.

The agenda of governance agreed to by the BJP and its allies in 1990s had kept the saffron party's core agenda, which included repealing Article 370, out of its purview.

His party has been part of the NDA since 1996, he said.

The JD(U) had walked out of the NDA in 2013 but joined it again in 2017.

Not wanting to be seen as being critical of the government, Lalan Singh also lavished praise on it for its measures against terrorism and noted that his party has supported them.

Terror incidents happened regularly during the 10 year UPA rule between 2004 and 2014, he said, adding the Modi government with Amit Shah as home minister has shown its resolve to fight the menace.

It had also taken decisions like carrying out surgical strike and air strike to target terrorism, he said.