Flays Farooq’s remarks on Electoral Roll Revision
Jammu, July 8: Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, Kavinder Gupta today slammed National Conference President Farooq Abdullah for terming the Election Commission’s special electoral roll revision in Bihar as “anti-Constitutional”, saying such statements are not only irresponsible but also expose the NC leader’s deliberate attempts to mislead the public and undermine the democratic process.
In a press release issued here today, the BJP stalwart said it is unfortunate that a senior politician like Farooq Abdullah, who has held key constitutional positions, is now resorting to provocative and misleading narratives only to gain political mileage. “Calling a routine electoral revision ‘anti-Constitutional’ is not just factually incorrect but a direct insult to the authority and autonomy of the Election Commission of India (ECI), a body that has maintained the integrity of elections in the country for decades,” he stated.
Kavinder reminded the NC leader that the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar is a much-needed and long-overdue exercise, the last such revision having taken place in 2003. “In the past two decades, Bihar has witnessed massive urbanisation, internal migration, and demographic shifts. The ECI has rightly decided to clean up outdated voter lists to ensure only eligible citizens are registered and to eliminate bogus entries — something every responsible citizen should welcome,” he said.
The senior BJP leader added that the move is in line with the Commission’s mandate to maintain free, fair, and transparent elections and has nothing to do with pleasing any so-called “master”, as alleged by Farooq Abdullah. “Such statements are deeply disrespectful to democratic institutions and reflect the frustration of a party that has lost ground across the nation,” he said.
Taking strong exception to Abdullah’s call for an agitation to “save the Constitution”, Kavinder said, “It is ironic that leaders who remained silent when Article 370 was misused to discriminate against Indian citizens are now preaching constitutional morality. The people of India know who stood for the Constitution and who abused it for dynastic politics.”
Kavinder appealed to the people of India, especially the youth, to stand with democratic institutions, uphold the spirit of the Constitution, and reject the divisive politics of fear and falsehood. “India is changing, and so is its democracy. Those stuck in the past and blinded by their own political insecurities will continue to resist reforms — but they will not succeed,” he said.
