Gripped by tension while passing J&K bills: VP

Backing the scrapping of Article 370 that accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said the move was in the "interest of nation".

Without naming the Opposition, he asked everyone to treat it as "national issue" rather than a political issue.

Kashmir LIVE | India cancels Samjhauta Express train after Pak's suspension​

Naidu, who oversaw the passage of the bills and resolutions in this regard on August 5 as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said he can talk about the issues now since they have been cleared by both houses of Parliament.

Noting the abrogation of Article 370 as the need of the hour, Naidu said countrymen should stand with their counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir. The Vice President was speaking after Home Minister Amit Shah released his book on his two-year term in office titled "Listening, Learning & Leading" here.

"We should all think in terms of national interest rather than party interest. Article 370 should not be treated as a political issue but as a national issue, that Kashmir is an integral part of India," he said.

Narrating his experience while passing the bill, he said he was gripped by "tension" when the bill came up for discussion on August 5 in the Rajya Sabha.

"I did not want to close the doors, stopping the Doordarshan (live broadcast), and then removing 30-40 people... I was praying. Because the (Art 370) bill (that was supposed to be) going to the Lok sabha has come to the Rajya sabha. They (government) seem to have decided we must first cross the hurdle at Rajya Sabha so that we can go to the Lok Sabha. So the bill came (and) I gave a second thought," he said.