Courage emerging among people, change will come: Farooq on protests over CEC, SIR

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Sunday criticised the Election Commission over alleged deletions from electoral rolls amid protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, saying “courage” was emerging among people and “change” was on the way.

Speaking at the fifth ‘Halla Bolle’ conclave here, the three-time former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said no one had 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. Yet they did it,” he said.

Abdullah alleged that Muslims had been selectively targeted and removed from the rolls. He also claimed that eminent lawyer and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal had been removed from the voter list.

He alleged that the exercise was aimed at helping those in power remain in office and secure support for their political interests.

Responding to a question on the SIR controversy and the role of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Abdullah said people had begun to resist what he described as attempts to undermine their rights.

“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,” he said.

Abdullah said the “wind” of change had started blowing and that the authority of the people would emerge again.

He cited recent protests in Mumbai and Delhi against the CEC and the SIR exercise, saying people and political parties had started “rising up” and refusing to accept the situation.

Referring to a confrontation between a protester and a police officer, Abdullah praised the young woman for questioning the officer and demanding that he show his badge before asking for her documents.

“India is not dead. India is alive,” he said.

The National Conference chief also criticised the institutional framework governing the Election Commission, saying the biggest mistake during former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's tenure was not making the poll panel completely autonomous.

“They should have made the Election Commission totally autonomous. It was a mistake, and we are suffering the consequences today,” he said.

Abdullah also questioned the composition of the panel that selects the chief election commissioner, alleging that the government has an advantage over the opposition in the selection process.

He alleged that the government had appointed a former secretary from its own department as the Election Commission's chief and accused the CEC of being biased towards the BJP.

Abdullah further criticised the BJP government for what he described as sidelining the Constitution and the legacy of B R Ambedkar.

“The tragedy is that the BJP has forgotten the Constitution that B R Ambedkar gave the country,” he said.

He said the Constitution was meant to be followed and called its alleged sidelining “deeply tragic”.