In the midst of a political uproar over non-local voters, the BJP on Monday launched a direct attack on the Congress and Kashmiri political parties. BJP state president Ravindra Raina said that when we are all residents of one country, there can be no discrimination in that. Law is equal for all. When Mufti Mohammad Sayeed can win the Lok Sabha elections from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh and Ghulam Nabi Azad can contest the Lok Sabha elections from Maharashtra, why can’t people from other states who have been living here for years get the franchise.
On one hand, National Conference chief and former Chief Minister called an all-party meeting in Srinagar, while on the other hand BJP state president was attacking opposition parties including Congress by holding a press conference in Jammu. Ravindra Raina said that after the delimitation, the revision of voter lists is going on. Voter list is being prepared according to the constitutional process. But leaders of parties like Congress, National Conference and PDP have started propaganda. The Constitution gives every citizen the right to vote anywhere in the country. After the abrogation of Article 370, Indian law has been fully implemented in Jammu and Kashmir as well.
When the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir residing in other states are exercising their franchise in the state after getting their names removed from the voter list, then why the citizens of other states cannot get this right in Jammu and Kashmir? When PDP patriarch Mufti Mohammad Sayeed won the election from Muzaffarnagar, there was no dispute of non-local. Similarly, Ghulam Nabi Azad continued to contest elections from Maharashtra. There too no one raised a dispute of non-local against them, so why are these people protesting in Jammu and Kashmir today?
In a direct attack on Congress, National Conference and PDP, the BJP state president said that these people have been ruling the people of Jammu and Kashmir for 70 years by fighting. Sometimes fought in the name of regionalism and sometimes in the name of caste and religion. Today, when the Modi government with the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas is taking Jammu and Kashmir forward on the path of prosperity and the people here are happy, it is not digesting these people. But now the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir will also get all those rights which are available in other states of the country.