Srinagar, Oct 4: National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah slammed the alleged deletions by the Election Commission from the voter rolls amid protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over the SIR exercise, but said people have begun to show “courage”, indicating that “change” is on the way.
Speaking at the fifth ‘Halla Bolle’ conclave here, the three-time former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister criticised the chief election commissioner and said that no one has the right to remove an Indian citizen from the voter list.
“Everyone knew how people’s names were struck off the voter rolls. And then they casually say, ‘Well, we’ll see about it in the next election.’ When the Constitution of India gives you the right, as an Indian citizen, to vote, no one has the right to remove anyone from the list,” he said. “Yet they did it”.
“They selectively targeted and struck off Muslims. Look at the extent of it, even an eminent lawyer like Kapil Sibal was removed from the list. How many were struck off. Because their objective is: ‘We have to stay in power until eternity, and to do that, we need people who will do our bidding'”.
Abdullah, however, said winds of change have started to blow in the country and that the spirit of India remains very much alive.
“Courage is beginning to emerge among our people. Change will come. I am telling you, whether I am alive or dead, change is on the way. That wind has started blowing, whereby people’s authority will again emerge,” he said in response to a question about the SIR row and role of CEC Gyanesh Kumar during a question-answer session at the event.
The NC president said it is the people who formed this country from north to south and east to west, and it is these people who will make India great.
“And they have started showing it. And the Forward Bloc party is one of these wings that we have today that has started this movement. India is not dead. India is alive,” he said.
Abdullah said he was grateful that people and political parties have now started “rising up” and “refusing to accept this”.
“You saw it the day before yesterday in Mumbai. They held a massive protest. Yesterday, it was in Delhi,” he said, referring to the protests against the CEC and the SIR in Mumbai and Delhi.
“And look at that young woman, who stood tall and questioned them! Look at that girl who confronted a police officer when asked, ‘Where is your name? Where are your documents?’ She replied, ‘First show your badge so we know who you are!’, the former chief minister said, pointing to AISA national president Neha Bora.
Abdullah, however, lamented that the biggest mistake made during Nehru’s administration was not making the Election Commission completely autonomous.
“They should have made the Election Commission totally autonomous. It was a mistake, and we are suffering the consequences today. Had the Election Commission been autonomous, we would not be in this state today,” he said.
The NC chief said then Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government kept two members from the government and one from the opposition to select the Chief Election Commissioner.
“Tell me, when the majority of two is on one side, what can that single opposition leader do? Because the decision is made by majority. By using that majority, Modi appointed a secretary from his own department as the Election Commission’s chief. He is completely biased toward the BJP and works for Sangh,” Abdullah alleged.
The former Union minister said the “tragedy” is that the BJP has “forgotten” the Constitution that B R Ambedkar gave the country.
“The one we are meant to follow. Instead, they have sidelined Ambedkar. It is deeply tragic,” he said.
‘Govt walking on razor’s edge’
“Walking on the razor’s edge” is how ruling National Conference President Farooq Abdullah described the working of the J&K government, but asserted that it is trying its best and holding its head high.
“The government is doing its work to the extent it can. But if you demand that we fetch the moon and stars, that is not possible. Look at the circumstances under which we are working. We are walking on the edge of a sword, and on that razor’s edge, we are trying to do as much as possible,” Abdullah said.
The three-time chief minister said that despite constraints, the government is working for the betterment of the people.
“Our ministers are not sitting idle; they are constantly on the move. Even today, they are out reaching the people. We are trying to reach everywhere within the resources we have. If we had vast oil and gas reserves, god knows where we would have reached. But we don’t. And the financial reality is that we have had a setback; for a year, we have had to carry that burden. There was nothing left. Even then, by god’s grace, we are keeping our heads high,” Abdullah said.
The veteran politician asserted that it is human nature to desire more, and yet never show gratitude for what they already have.
“I have seen the past, and I am seeing the present as well. Given the reality before us, this government is trying to do as much as it can,” he said.
Pointing to the country’s political landscape, the National Conference (NC) president said people are being pitted against each other in the name of religion.
“You know the condition our country is in; it is filled with hatred. Human is being pitted against human, be it over a temple, a mosque, a gurdwara or a church,” he said.
Referring to the abrogation of Article 370 by the Centre in 2019, Abdullah said the BJP had always wanted to remove it as J-K was the only Muslim-majority state.
“This is not new; since Jawaharlal Nehru’s time, this has pricked their eyes. They think we should be their slaves. We bid farewell to slavery when India gained freedom, and we tried to stand on our own feet.
“But because of conspiracies, our own people tried to sell out this homeland for the sake of power and position. I do not consider Delhi as the sole culprit; I consider our own people responsible. Those who surrendered our autonomy, who dismantled our self-reliance,” he said.
Abdullah also hit out at the PDP, without naming the party, for “helping” the BJP abrogate Article 370 by forming a government in J-K in 2014-15, claiming that successive governments struck down every law that kept J&K’s autonomy alive.
“Conspiracies were taking place then; they are taking place today, and our people are still selling out. For a few positions and perks, they are ready to trade not just autonomy, but even their self-respect.
“Until we develop that inner strength, we are distant even from god. We meaninglessly show off that we offer Friday prayers, but there is no fear of god,” he said.
Referring to J&K’s accession to India, the NC chief said that relationship was “temporary”.
“The tragedy is that the relationship of this state with the nation was temporary. It was supposed to be decided through a referendum under the supervision of the United Nations.
“And under that framework, whoever was to conduct it would come from outside, and Pakistan was required to withdraw its troops from the territories it occupied. That was the precondition,” he said.
However, he said, it was never implemented.
“When it came to implementation between the two countries, what happened? Whenever an observer arrived, India would say, ‘he is pro-Pakistan; we will not accept him’. When another came, Pakistan would say, ‘he is pro-India; we do not accept him’.
“And amid this deadlock, that referendum never took place. Even today, it remains in the United Nations statutes, which our neighbour raises every day,” he said.
J&K’s special status should have been made permanent, Abdullah said. “Autonomy was temporary only because a final decision had not taken place – whether we were part of India or part of Pakistan. Therefore, when this issue of autonomy came, and when India stated that ‘now we do not accept a referendum to take place; Kashmir is an integral part of India’, Article 370 should also have been made permanent. But they kept saying it was temporary,” Abdullah said.
“This is where the tragedy lies. They tried to erode that autonomy at every stage, at every time, and started extending their own central laws here, which steadily diminished our autonomy. That is the reality,” he added.
The NC chief also asked people to stand on their own feet first.
“We have to go begging for everything. I know how many times I had to talk to (then J-K governor Girish Chander) Saxena. He genuinely helped us. We don’t do anything ourselves. Today, even when it is time to harvest paddy, we look for Bihari labourers. We won’t even do that ourselves. That is our reality,” Abdullah said.
