Farooq Abdullah reaffirmed Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India at an INDIA bloc rally, while Mehbooba Mufti urged citizens to protect constitutional rights and democratic values against ongoing political and constitutional changes.
Farooq Abdullah Reaffirms J&K Status
Stressing that everybody is equal and has the right to vote in India’s Constitution, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday asserted that Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will remain a part of India. Addressing the INDIA bloc’s rally against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, Abdullah criticised the BJP and RSS over what he described as attempts to portray Muslims as outsiders and question their patriotism.
“These people point fingers at Muslims and call them Pakistanis. I want to tell the BJP and RSS: We have given our blood for India. We gave it in the past, we are giving it today, and we will give it tomorrow,” he said. “This is Ambedkar’s Constitution. This is India’s Constitution. We are all equal, and everyone has an equal vote. Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will remain a part of India. They will not be able to separate it,” he declared.
Mehbooba Mufti on Constitutional Rights
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mehbooba Mufti, addressing the same rally, focused on constitutional rights, democratic participation and the political developments in Jammu and Kashmir following the 2019 constitutional changes. She cautioned that the rights available to citizens under the Constitution, particularly the right to vote and elect or change governments, needed to be protected.
Referring to the constitutional provisions that empower citizens to participate in the democratic process, Mufti alleged that attempts were being made to take away these rights. She said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir had experienced significant political and constitutional changes in 2019 and urged citizens across the country to remain vigilant about protecting their democratic rights.
“The very Constitution that has given you the vote to change the government, to bring down the government, and to form a new government, they want to snatch that right away from you. We, the people of Jammu and Kashmir, have been ruined. In 2019, they destroyed the Constitution there,” Mufti said. “But now you must save yourselves, lest they turn the entire country into Jammu and Kashmir. We are with you. Standing shoulder to shoulder, we are with you in your struggle,” she added.
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