Amit Shah and Farooq Abdullah (R)

NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah is neither under detention nor arrest and he is at his home of his own will.

"He is well... if he does not want to come out of his house, he cannot be brought out at gunpoint," the minister said after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed concern over Abdullah's absence during the debate on a motion to abrogate provisions of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and a bill to split the state into two Union Territories.

However, Amit Shah's statement was countered by Farooq Abdullah, who appeared before the media and accused the Union home minister of lying. The senior National Conference leader claimed that "he has been put under house arrest."

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said he "broke the door" to come out and speak to the media.

During the discussion in Lok Sabha on J&K Reorganisation Bill, NCP leader Supriya Sule was the first opposition member to raise the issue of absence of Farooq Abdullah from the House.

Sule said Farooq Abdullah used to sit next to her in the House. "He is not in House and his voice is not being heard," she said.

When Sule wondered whether the National Conference leader was unwell, Amit Shah said it is up to the doctors to say. "I can't carry out the treatment, it is up to doctors," he said.

As the opposition members kept on raising the issue, Amit Shah made the clarification on Farooq Abdullah's status not once but four times.

"I am saying it for the 4th time and I've the patience to say it for tenth time, Farooq Abdullah has neither been detained nor arrested. If he isn't well, doctors will take him to hospital. House shouldn't worry," Amit Shah said.

Meanwhile, in his first remarks since the government on Monday revoked provisions of Article 370 to take away J&K's special status, Farooq Abdullah said a "dictatorial" authority has been invoked and not a "democratic" one.

"Dictatorial authority has been invoked and not a democratic authority that we thought they will invoke. I don't know how many have been arrested. Nobody is allowed to come in or go out, we are under house arrest," he said.

"I heard the statement of the home minister of India that Farooq Abdullah is free and is staying in the house out of his own will. I thought how can he be lying when a DSP has been placed outside my house and no one can come in and no one can go out," Farooq Abdullah told Times Now TV channel.

"There is no written order but we have been placed under house arrest. We believe in law, we are not stone-pelters or killers. We have never used the path of gun. We have always followed Mahatma Gandhi's way ... Why was this done? What was the need," he said.

"If it (the developments in J&K) is going according to the Constitution why the home minister could not wait when the matter is with the Supreme Court of India. Article 370 is not a presidential order, it is a constitutional guarantee," Abdullah said.

