Farooq Abdullah was criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday for calling Jammu and Kashmir voters “outsiders” and for doing so while serving as chief minister of that state.
Farooq Abdullah, head of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) and a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, stated during the all-party conference that they oppose granting outsiders voting rights in the state.
The proposed addition of some 2.5 voters, including non-locals, in Jammu and Kashmir’s election lists prompted the request for the all-party conference.
BJP National General Secretary and in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir Tarun Chugh responded to Abdullah’s assertion by saying, “After all, Farooq Abdullah sahib is insulting the people of Jammu and Kashmir by referring to voters as foreigners and using such language. Give a definition of the term “outsiders.” Every Indian who is older than 18 years old has the right to vote in the province in which they reside, according to the Election Commission. Therefore, Jammu and Kashmir residents who are at least 18 years old should cast their ballots.”
“Is Farooq Abdullah’s comment against outsiders referring to any particular religion, region, or caste? This makes no sense, and neither does what the outsider is supposed to signify. What does “outside,” “that outside party won’t come to Jammu and Kashmir,” and “Farooq Abdullah” mean? Has Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Party or the Sharif family, who are from the Pakistan Muslim League, arrived in Jammu and Kashmir to run for office? Farooq Sahib shouldn’t exacerbate the issues or spread misinformation, “Chugh remarked.
He said that any political party in the nation has the freedom to run for office in any region, and that the Jan Sangh of the Bharatiya Janata Party has been present in Jammu and Kashmir since the 1950s.
