Tral, May 8: Former Chief Minister and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said Jammu and Kashmir had acceded to secular India where the people of all faiths were treated with equality.
“We had joined hands with Mahatma Gandhi’s and Jawahar Lal Nehru’s India, not Modi’s India who wants that people of only one faith should live in the country,” he said, while addressing public rallies at Eidgah in Srinagar and Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
Dr Farooq Abdullah was referring to the Prime Minister’s recent statement where he described some Muslims as “illegal migrants”. He said that the Prime Minister had attempted to create fear among the Hindus by saying that Muslims would snatch Mangal Sutra of women, melt its gold and give it away among Muslims.
“Muslims are only 22 crores. How can they snatch the resources of 70 percent population,”NC President said. He said that he had not expected that the Prime Minister would make such a statement.
“Whether we voted in his favour or not, he is the Prime Minister of the entire country,” he said. Dr Farooq Abdullah said that the Prime Minister should know that the people of Jammu and Kashmir chose secular India over Pakistan in 1947. “But the India that you (Prime Minister) are shaping is not palatable to us,” he said. NC President stated that he wanted to live in that India whose constitution was drafted by Ambedkar. “They wanted to demolish that constitution”, he said.
Dr Farooq Abdullah said that today was the question of the survival of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and safeguarding their identity. He said that initially some sections of people in Jammu celebrated the abrogation of article 370, “but now they have come to recognize the significance of such special constitutional safeguards”.
NC President castigated the current dispensation for the growing inflation. He appealed to the people to vote for the National Conference candidates. He was accompanied by Aga Ruhullah, Lok Sabha candidate for Srinagar seat, Husnain Masoodi and others.