Want Debate On Security Issues In Parliament, Says Congress

New Delhi: The Congress party today said differences with China over Kashmir were a new focal point, and the party will seek a debate in parliament on the issue. The Congress said it stands with the government on matters of territorial integrity and national security.

The government has closed all doors for dialogue on Kashmir "which has led to political suffocation in the valley", Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said. "If the government thinks that elimination and guns are the only ways to curb tension in Kashmir, we are not with them," he told reporters after an all-party meeting a day before parliament opens for the monsoon session.

The leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha said, "Pakistan would earlier figure in discussions on Kashmir, but now China is mentioned without fail."

Mr Azad said the Congress has told the government it wants to discuss some sensitive issues on internal and external security during the monsoon session. He said opposition parties will seek a discussion on the India-China standoff in Dokalam.

He said the opposition is likely to raise the issue of farmer suicides in Madhya Pradesh, impact of the Goods and Services Tax on the textile industry, and flood in Assam. He said the Congress "is not in favour of stalling the proceedings of Parliament, but we are forced to do so when the government does not agree to our genuine demands".