MP Farooq Abdullah slapped with Public Safety Act, while no action against Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma

Raising concern over the absence of Farooq Abdullah in the Parliament, Congress-led opposition on Wednesday staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha demanding the Centre release National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah from detention in Kashmir considering his age and health.

Congress Leader of the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Suresh Kodukunil raised the issue during Zero Hour following which other opposition parties, including National Conference, Nationalist Socialist Party (NCP) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK), walked out of the House after brief sloganeering when the issue was not entertained.

This highlights the hypocrisy of the government, which has put Abdullah under detention for the past six months without any crime. Whereas people like Pravesh Varma, Anurag Thakur who have been inciting people and giving hate speeches continue to attend Parliament. No strong action has been taken against both. Farooq Abdullah has not been able to attend parliament for the last three sessions.

On January 27, Triggering a row, BJP leader and Union minister Anurag Thakur egged on participants of an election rally to raise an incendiary slogan that "traitors should be shot", after he lashed out at anti-CAA protesters.

Addressing the meeting in support of BJP candidate from Rithala, the minister of state for finance, shouted "desh ke gaddaron ko" to which the crowd responded "goli maro sa*** ko" (shoot down the traitors).

While addressing a rally in Vikaspuri Assembly constituency, West Delhi, BJP MP Pravesh Varma said, “This is not just another election. It is an election to decide the unity of a nation. If the BJP comes to power on February 11, you will not find a single protester within an hour. And within a month, we will not spare a single mosque built on government land.”

Speaking to ANI Verma said, “Lakhs of people gather there (Shaheen Bagh). People of Delhi will have to think and take a decision. They’ll enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters, kill them. There’s time today, Modi ji and Amit Shah won’t come to save you tomorrow...”

On the other hand, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah has been under detention since August 5, when the Centre withdrew Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, which gave special status to the erstwhile state, and divided the region into two Union Territories. In December, his detention was extended by three more months.

Abdullah along with many other Jammu and Kashmir politicians are under detention since the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A from the newly-created Union Territory.