At a time when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre's attempts to scrap Article 370 is an omnipresent news item, Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has done one better. Scoring a self goal during a debate in the Lok Sabha, in the presence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Chowdhury embarrassed the party, and majority of the parties opposing the article, by appearing to suggest that decisions taken by Centre on Jammu and Kashmir were not an internal matter.

At a time when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre's attempts to scrap Article 370 is an omnipresent news item, Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has done one better. Scoring a self goal during a debate in the Lok Sabha, in the presence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Chowdhury embarrassed the party, and majority of the parties opposing the article, by appearing to suggest that decisions taken by Centre on Jammu and Kashmir were not an internal matter.

Wildly flailing his arms and speaking animatedly when the debate on the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill began in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Chowdhury was the first leader from the Opposition to be invited to speak by Speaker Om Birla, after the bill was tabled by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He had made his statements in Rajya Sabha on Monday amid huge opposition from parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (United).