Representational pic
New Delhi/Nagpur.
A major goof-up on the part of RSS mouthpiece ‘Organiser’ left Modi Government red-faced and the patriotic stand of the organization itself is being questioned. The ‘Organiser’ bungled when it depicted the Pak-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) as Pakistani territory. The muddle triggered uproar in Rajya Sabha and the Modi Government scrambled to clean the mess by promising to probe the matter. “This is not Government’s stand and neither of the RSS,” said the Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad while responding on behalf of the embarrassed Government.
Interestingly, a three-day RSS Pratinidhi Sabha commenced in Nagpur on Friday.
The matter was raised by Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad when the House met for the day. “Jammu and Kashmir is the crown of India and numerous sacrifices have been made to maintain it as the crown,” he said. Observing that the BJP and RSS have been in the forefront of protests whenever a foreign magazine showed PoK as part of Pakistan, Azad wanted to know from the government if it approved of the ‘Organiser’ map.
Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and “we will investigate” the article in ‘Organiser’. This is “not the view of the Sangh, neither the BJP’s and nor that of the government,” Prasad said.
Despite the Minister’s reply, Congress members continued to press the issue, with S Chaturvedi wanting to know what action the government proposes to take against the author. Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said the Minister has made a categorical statement that Jammu and Kashmir is part of India and nobody can change it.
Some Congress members also tried to raise the issue of 2008 Mumbai attack mastermindZakiur Rehman Lakhvi being granted bail by a court in Pakistan. Pramod Tiwari (Cong) said it was a failure of India’s foreign policy, even as Kurien asked members to give proper notice for raising the issue.
Rajeev Shukla (Cong) said though Zero Hour notices are to be given by 10 hours, but since Lakhvi was released around that time, no prior notice could be given for raising the issue in the House.
Kurien said the members can raise the issue on the next working day. He also disallowed a notice for suspension of business by KN Balagopal (CPI-M) to raise the issue of ruckus during Budget presentation in the Kerala assembly.
“Your suspension notice is ruled out. You cannot discuss working of an assembly, whether Kerala or any other, in this House,” he said, asking CPI(M) members to ask their party colleagues in the state to raise it in the assembly.
