New Delhi: General secretary of the All India Congress Committee and in charge of the East UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday drew a sharp attack on the BJP-led Centre as politicians from Jammu and Kashmir completed six months under detention on Tuesday, while rest of the country reeled under protests against the CAA, NPR and the NRC.
"Six months ago we were asking how long this will carry on?" she said in a tweet, remembering two senior ex-chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who were "incarcerated without any charges."
However, given the developments since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reconstitution of Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory, Gandhi wonders if "we are still a democracy or not."
Its been six months since two Ex-Chief Ministers have been incarcerated without any charges and millions of people were locked down in J&K. Six months ago we were asking how long this will carry on?Now we are asking whether we are still a democracy or not.— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) February 5, 2020
The Indian government had revoked the special status given to the erstwhile state on August 5, 2019, 70 years after it was accorded to it in the Constitution. In the lead up to the presidential decree that removed the status, thousands of troops were relocated to the disputed region.
As many as 35 mainstream politicians and 500 political workers in Jammu and Kashmir were also detained. Politicians include former CM Omar Abdullah and Faqoor Abdullah of the National Conference and former CM Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP. Three leaders of the NC and one of the PDP was released on Sunday after six months under detention.
Post-August 5, an internet shutdown was also put in placed in the region for months at a stretch. Postpaid services became operational after 70 days of the shutdown, while SMS services started on January 1. Broadband services were resumed on January 15.
Though the Centre on January 25 had restored mobile data services for the whole Union Territory, a number of key restrictions remained in place like limiting the network connectivity only to 2G speed, and access to only certain 200 government-approved lists of websites.
Gandhi's statement assumes significance amid the BJP's attempt to silence protests against the CAA, NPR and the NRC across the country. The Opposition has repeatedly condemned the BJP for undermining the spirit of democracy while handling the incidents of violence at Jamia Milia Islamia, Jawahar Lal Nehru University and Aligarh Muslim University.
The Opposition most recently condemned the communally divisive statements made by the minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Parvesh Verma. Both the leaders were made to move the motion of thanks on the President's address in the Parliament praising the achievement of the CAA.
Thakur had lashed out at AAP and Congress, as well as anti-CAA protesters, leading the incendiary chants of ‘Desh ke Gaddaron ko, Goli maaro saalon ko (shoot the traitors)” at a poll rally in Delhi.
Parvesh Verma, on the hand, raised the spectre of Shaheen Bagh's anti-CAA protesters “entering homes to rape and kill women”. He also vowed to raze mosques in the Muslim-majority colony.
The Election Commission Thakur and Verma as star campaigners of the BJP for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections after these comments.
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