National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday criticised the BJP and RSS over what he described as repeated attempts to question the patriotism of Muslims, saying the community had sacrificed for India and would continue to stand for the country’s unity and integrity.
Addressing a gathering at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, attended by senior Opposition leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Abdullah said no community should be made to repeatedly prove its loyalty to the country.
“These people always point fingers at Muslims and call them Pakistanis. I want to tell the BJP and RSS that we have given our blood for this country. We gave our blood yesterday, we are giving it today and we will give it tomorrow as well,” he said.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said Muslims wanted to live in India and contribute to its progress.
“We want to live in this country and strengthen this country,” he added.
Farooq Abdullah Questions Voter Deletions in Uttar Pradesh
Abdullah also criticised the Election Commission over alleged deletions of names from electoral rolls, accusing it of undermining citizens’ democratic rights.
Referring to remarks by Akhilesh Yadav, he claimed that more than one crore Hindu voters had been removed from electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh.
“You have removed more than one crore Hindus from the voting lists in Uttar Pradesh. Are they also Pakistanis?” Abdullah asked.
The figure was cited by Abdullah during his speech and could not be independently verified.
His remarks came amid the INDIA bloc’s campaign against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have accused the Election Commission of facilitating large-scale voter deletions and have demanded accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Abdullah called on people across religious communities to stand together against what he described as attempts to divide society and weaken constitutional rights.
“Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis are all Indians. They will live as Indians and die as Indians,” he said.
Invokes Ambedkar, Calls for National Unity
Invoking B R Ambedkar, Abdullah said the Constitution guaranteed equal rights to all citizens, including the right to vote.
“This is Ambedkar’s Constitution. This is India’s Constitution. We are all equal under it, and every one of us has an equal right to vote,” he said.
He urged Opposition parties and citizens to resist any attempt to deprive people of their voting rights, arguing that democratic power ultimately rested with the public.
“The power is with the people. Use that power, strengthen it and tell those who are supporting them that they are on the wrong path,” Abdullah said.
The National Conference president also appealed to people not to fear those in positions of authority, saying governments and political leaders would change but the people remained the ultimate source of power in a democracy.
He said India could become a strong and prosperous nation only if all communities and sections of society were included in its progress.
