The External Affairs Ministry on Monday issued a statement in the Lok Sabha correcting the name of the minister who replied to a Parliament question on the designation of Hamas on December 8.
A political row broke out on December 9 after Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi said she had not approved a question tabled in the Lok Sabha the previous day on declaring Hamas a terrorist organisation, prompting the government to issue a clarification that it was a "procedural error".
As opposition parties latched onto Lekhi's remarks and described the incident as a "serious breach and violation of rules", the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement on December 10, saying the unstarred question "needs a technical correction in terms of reflecting V. Muraleedharan as the Minister of State replying to the Parliament question".
"This is being suitably undertaken," the ministry had added. "You have been misinformed as I have not signed any paper with this question and this answer," Lekhi said in response to a post on X on the issue.
On Monday, Muraleedharan laid a statement in the House, which was included in the supplementary agenda, "correcting the reply given on December 8 to unstarred question number 980 by Kumbakudi Sudhakaran, MP, regarding 'declaration of Hamas as terrorist organisation'."
Ministers give an oral reply to starred questions. A written reply is given to unstarred questions.