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Farooq Abdullah Blames Nehru-Era Mistake for Election Commission Interference
Farooq Abdullah spoke at a gathering in Srinagar about India's Election Commission.
He said it should have been made fully independent when India was newly formed.
He accused the current government of having too much influence over who is chosen to lead it.
He also claimed that voter lists were changed unfairly, especially affecting Muslims.
These claims are Abdullah's allegations, not findings established in the article.
He warned that weakening public institutions could harm democracy.
He also said the BJP-PDP coalition in Jammu and Kashmir helped lead to the removal of Article 370 in 2019.
Abdullah argued that this change followed years of decisions that reduced the region's autonomy.
Farooq Abdullah said the Nehru government erred by not making the Election Commission fully autonomous.
He accused the Modi government of shaping commissioner appointments to favor its majority and alleged partisan influence.
Abdullah cited reported voter-list deletions and claimed Muslims were disproportionately removed; the article does not independently verify the allegation.
He warned that political interference in institutions could weaken democracy and urged political parties and civil society to speak out.
Abdullah said the 2015 BJP-PDP coalition helped create conditions for the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, despite earlier warnings.
- Who
- Farooq Abdullah, president of the National Conference, speaking with Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar present.
- What
- Abdullah criticized the Election Commission's independence and discussed the removal of Article 370.
- Where
- The Halla Bol conclave in Srinagar.
- When
- Sunday; the article does not give a date.
- Why
- Abdullah argued that insufficient independence for the Election Commission enabled political interference, and that earlier political decisions contributed to the loss of Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Farooq Abdullah, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference president
- Event
- Halla Bol conclave
- Location
- Srinagar
- Election Commission criticism
- Abdullah said the body should have been made completely autonomous.
- Voter-list allegation
- Abdullah alleged that deletions disproportionately targeted Muslims and cited an Indian Express report.
- BJP-PDP coalition
- The coalition government was formed in 2015.
- Article 370
- Abdullah described its abrogation in August 2019 as the final act in a longer process of reducing Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy.
Quotes
Farooq Abdullah
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference president
“The biggest mistake the Nehru administration committed was not to make the Election Commission completely autonomous. We are suffering the consequences of that today.”
deccanchronicle.com
“If institutions fall, nations fall.”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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