A political slugfest broke out between the Kashmir based mainstream political parties and the ruling party over inclusion of non-local voters in Jammu and Kashmir electoral rolls on Thursday.
The National Conference termed the inclusion of outside voters in Jammu and Kashmir electoral rolls as “clear-cut de-franchising” of people of the erstwhile state while Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mehbooba Mufti described the latest decision of the election commission to allow outsiders to vote in the assembly polls as “pre-poll rigging”.
Hitting back Bharatiya Janata Party's Chief Spokesman in Jammu Sunil Sethi thundered that the decision of the Chief Electoral Officer to give voting rights to all persons who ordinarily reside in Jammu Kashmir is 'legally and constitutionally' correct . Sethi said Opposition parties are trying to project the wrong picture and are still living in the pre 5th Aug 2019 era.
On the other hand terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF) has issued a threat saying that 'every non-local will be targeted'. The threat came after Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Electoral Officer Hirdesh Kumar Wednesday said that non-locals will be allowed to cast votes in the Assembly elections in J&K. In a threat, the TRF said that it will 'not even spare beggars'.
Meanwhile, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah has convened an all-party meeting here on August 22 to discuss the issue of inclusion of outside voters in Jammu and Kashmir electoral rolls.
The meeting will discuss the future course of action with regard to the Election Commission allowing outsiders to register as voters in the Union Territory.
“With regard to the CEO's announcement stating that non-locals will be added as voters in J&K, Dr Farooq Abdullah has convened an APM (all-party meeting) on August 22 (Monday) at his residence,” NC state spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said.
Dar said Abdullah has spoken to the mainstream political parties in the Union Territory and invited them to join the meeting.
“The party president spoke to all mainstream parties, except the BJP,” the spokesman added.
Apparently, some of the Kashmir based political parties have sensed an opportunity to corner the government over the issue of enrolling non-locals as voters in J&k.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, the National Conference Chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq told reporters, “Firstly, there is no clarity on what the chief electoral officer (CEO) has said. What is the criterion of an ordinarily living citizen? Can anyone, including tourists, register their vote here?”
He said there are apprehensions among the people, and the government should clarify.
Referring to the issue of security forces personnel registering themselves as voters, Sadiq said according to the rules, security forces can register as voters only in peace stations.
“There is Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Jammu and Kashmir, that means J-K is declared as a disturbed state… so there are no peace stations and then how can security forces register as local voters?” he asked.
Addressing a separate press conference at her residence Mehbooba Mufti told reporters,“I appeal to those parties that have fought for secular and democratic India, and not those that sided with Britishers should speak up. All measures and policy decisions taken in J&K are not for the national interest but only for BJP’s interest. The BJP has made Kashmir a laboratory. They experiment here first and apply such tricks outside later,” Mufti said.
She said the election commission is allowing 25 lakh outsiders to vote in J&K’s next assembly election. “This will make voters from Kashmir as well as Jammu irrelevant. This is a step to disenfranchise locals.”
CPI(M) leader M.Y. Tarigami also described the announcement made by the Chief Electoral Officer on allowing outsiders to vote in J&K as “disenfranchising the people of J&K”.
Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari on Thursday sought clarification from the Centre on the inclusion of non-local voters in the electoral rolls of Jammu and Kashmir and said his party will not allow anyone to change the Union territory’s demography.
Bukhari said the chief electoral officer’s remarks have created confusion and uneasiness among the people.
”Two things come to our mind by such statements. One is whether it is an attempt to change our demography, and the other is how anyone can vote at two places. If someone lives outside, how can he vote here?” Bukhari told reporters.
In Jammu, BJP's Chief spokesman Sunil Sethi clarified the opposition parties are somehow trying to create exceptions in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory which is not permissible. People of Jammu and Kashmir have welcomed the decision of complete jelling of Jammu Kashmir to the Indian Union without exception or reservation and political parties have to realize it and live with it.
Sunil Sethi further asserted that if person from Jammu and Kashmir who is ordinarily residing in any part of country can get himself registered there as voters then how can be there reservation for same thing happening in Jammu and Kashmir