SRINAGAR: Member of Parliament and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah voiced his support for the arrested Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, urging the government to refrain from such actions that may have repercussions in the future.
Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi excise policy case on Wednesday.
“Sanjay Singh has been vocal in Parliament against government actions he opposes. It’s wrong to detain a legislator of impeccable character simply because, as I understand it, he refused to answer certain questions. You don’t arrest someone for failing to answer a question. If you have allegations, take him to court,” Abdullah said to reporters in Srinagar.
Abdullah expressed concern about the continued arrests, citing the imprisonment of Education Minister Manish Sisodia. “The poor education minister is already in jail, and for how long will this persist?” the former chief minister questioned. He emphasised that India is a democratic nation, where every individual possesses rights.
“For goodness’ sake, avoid actions that may one day come back to haunt you. You won’t remain in power indefinitely. There will be a day when this will come back to haunt you. Think about that day,” Abdullah cautioned.
Responding to Ravinder Raina’s statement questioning the opposition’s commitment to the constitution and democratic institutions due to their earlier boycott of Urban Local Bodies elections, the NC president stated that Raina had made a statement without understanding the context.
“It’s true that we didn’t participate in the Panchayat elections, which is regrettable. Those who made that decision should reconsider. However, we did participate in the DDC elections. National Conference may have abstained, but other parties took part,” Abdullah clarified.
“We are demanding our constitutional rights, which have been curtailed in this region since it became a Union Territory. We are advocating for our constitutional rights,” he added.
