Cong condemns Farooq’s detention under PSA

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday condemned the detention of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah under the Public Safety Act, saying injustice has been done and it's the country's "misfortune" that leaders who fought for its unity are behind bars.

The party said it stands in solidarity with Abdullah and if there is "no militancy today" in the state, it was because of the Congress, the National Conference and the PDP, and not the BJP. The Congress' reaction came after officials sources on Monday said Abdullah has now been detained under the stringent PSA, which enables authorities to detain any individual for two years without trial. The 81-year-old National Conference leader has been under preventive detention since August 5 when the Centre announced abrogation of special status given to the state under Article 370 and its bifurcation into Union territories Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The stringent law was slapped on him early Monday.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Leader of the Opposition in the House Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "I strongly condemn it. It is most unfortunate that a (former) chief minister of one of the oldest political parties in Kashmir (has been detained).

"Each chief minister and each political party, be it the Congress, the National Conference or the Peoples Democratic Party, in Jammu and Kashmir have tried their level best to fight militancy. If there is no militancy today, it is because of these political parties and not the BJP," he told reporters.

If the leaders who fought against militancy and for the unity and integrity of the country are put behind bars under the PSA, it is a "misfortune" of the country, Azad said.

At an AICC briefing, party leader Rajiv Shukla said termed Abdullah a nationalist and said injustice has been meted out towards him. "I feel that injustice has been meted out to Farooq Abdullah. Farooq has always been a nationalist and you can see all his past speeches .... ”