Vaidik-Hafiz meet rocks Parliament for second day

Government says it has nothing to do with the meet between a journalist and a terrorist

Parliament was rocked for the second day today over the meeting of a journalist with terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed as opposition pressed for a response from government, which asserted that it had nothing to do with the "diplomatic misadventure of a private individual".

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha saw disruptions as soon as the two Houses met for the day, with opposition Congress seeking suspension of Question Hour and pressing for government's response over the "serious" matter.

Both Houses were again disrupted during Zero Hour with Congress and other opposition members expressing concern over the meeting and storming the Well raising slogans.

In the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said government has nothing to do with a journalist meeting India's one of the most-wanted terrorists in Pakistan recently.

"Allegations that the government facilitated the journalist's meeting with Hafiz Saeed is false and baseless," Swaraj said.

"I am saying with full responsibility and very categorically and unequivocally that the government is in no way associated with this meeting.

"Neither did he (Ved Pratap Vaidik) while going to Pakistan, nor after going there, inform us that he was meeting Hafiz Saeed. This is purely a private visit and a personal meeting," she said.

"The charges that he had gone there as somebody's emissary or that he is a follower of someone and that the government was associated with the meeting in any way is completely untrue, baseless and very unfortunate. Government of India has nothing to do with it," Swaraj said.

In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "This is a diplomatic misadventure of a private individual. The Indian State has nothing to do with it...The person (Vaidik) or his views has nothing to do with either the government or my party."

His statement led to uproar with slogan-shouting Congress members storming the Well.

Stating that the concerns of the Leader of the Opposition are also the concerns of the entire country, Jaitley said, "The person or his views has nothing to do with either the government or my party."

He also said, "If there is one party which in the last 66 years has a very strong view on Jammu and Kashmir it is my party."

The issue led to adjournment of Rajya Sabha thrice while Lok Sabha was adjourned once.