GHAZIABAD, Mar 10:
Amid the raging controversy over release of a Kashmiri separatist leader, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today asserted that his Government’s top priority was national security and not the continuance of the Government in the State where BJP is an alliance partner.
His remarks come a day after the Prime Minister made it clear in Parliament that release of separatist leader Masrat Alam was not acceptable and that the Government won’t tolerate any compromise with the nation’s integrity.
“My Government will not compromise with national security at any cost. For us any Government, whether in alliance or not, that is not our priority.Our priority is country and its security. You should understand this intention of ours.
“I will only make only one statement as of now, as I had said in Parliament yesterday. For us, Government is not the priority but for us country is priority and it is topmost,” he said.
“You should understand this fact and I think everything is encapsulated in this statement,” Singh said on the sidelines of the 46th Raising Day of central security force CISF here.
Singh maintained that he was not satisfied with the official version that the State Government sent to his Ministry earlier on this subject.
“I will not say anything now. As I said in Parliament yesterday, I am not fully satisfied with the version of Jammu and Kashmir government on this issue.I have sought some information… Clarifications on the issue from the State Government and only after getting something from there, I will comment,” he told reporters here.
He also dismissed reports that Mufti had talked to him on the subject.
“I have not talked to the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) in the last about three years or so… Not before oath or after that,” he said.
Meanwhile, a demand was raised in Lok Sabha today for dismissal of Mufti Sayeed Government in Jammu and Kashmir and a ban on PDP in the wake of its “anti national” act of releasing hardline separatist leader Masrat Alam .
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, AIADMK leader P Venugopal said his party was “not satisfied” with the explanation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue given to the House yesterday.
He wanted to know what sort of clarification has been sought by the Centre from the state Government.
Modi had yesterday denounced the release of Alam and Rajnath Singh had said his ministry had sought clarifications from the state Government over the issue.
Venugopal said what has “added insult to injury” is that the state Chief Minister has asked the police to release a dozen more separatists including some political prisoners.
He said the BJP has to come out of the coalition Government in the State and the Centre should ban PDP for taking up the separatist cause.
His party colleague Anwar Raza said the Mufti Government should be dismissed as it was “acting against sovereignty of the nation.”
This was the second day that the issue of Masrat Alam was raised in the Lok Sabha. Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh had made statements in Parliament on the controversy.
BJP today said it had a “zero -tolerance policy towards terrorism and separatism” and did not agree with the move.
Asked about the issue which has rocked the PDP-BJP alliance within days of its Government taking charge in J-K, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that not only did it not agree with the way that Masrat, a Hurriyat hardliner, was released, but it was also against the decision.
“BJP adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and separatism and will not bow down by allowing soft or weak policy on these issues,” he said.
“The manner in which a separatist leader has been released, BJP does not agree with it. We are against it. It is wrong,” he said, adding that Home Minister Rajnath Singh had yesterday made it clear in both Houses of Parliament.
“Home Minister is keeping a close watch on the issue and whatever will happen will be as per the Constitution and as per the law,” he said.
A delegation of J-K BJP leaders will meet party national president Amit Shah today and apprise him of the meeting they had yesterday with J-K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.
According to sources, a delegation of J-K BJP leaders met Sayeed and handed a memorandum to him on the issue of Alam’s release while conveying the party leadership’s “annoyance” to him over the matter.
The party leaders conveyed to Sayeed that the decision to release Alam was not discussed with BJP and done unilaterally, which was against the agenda of the Common Minimum Programme agreed between the allies.(PTI)
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