INDIA bloc protest over voter rolls ‘baseless’: Sunil Sharma

Srinagar, Oct 10 : Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma on Saturday termed the INDIA bloc’s proposed protest over alleged electoral irregularities “baseless”, accusing opposition parties of trying to create unrest in the country.
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‎Addressing reporters, Sharma defended the Election Commission of India, saying it was a constitutional institution and that questioning it in this manner was not good for democracy.
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‎“The Chief Election Commissioner is a constitutional institution of India. It is not a person, it is an institution,” he said.
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‎Sharma questioned the opposition’s objections to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, arguing that voter lists needed to be updated by removing deceased and ineligible voters and correcting entries.
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‎He said the process was necessary to ensure that only eligible Indian citizens remained on electoral rolls, while accusing the Congress of seeking to politicise the issue. His claims about the scale of voter deletions and the presence of foreign voters were not independently established in his remarks.
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‎Sharma also alleged that some external forces were attempting to create instability in India, but said citizens were alert and would not allow the country to face a situation similar to Nepal or Bangladesh.
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‎Reacting to PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s reported comparison of Kashmir with Delhi, Sharma said the situation in Kashmir had changed and asserted that the region now enjoyed peace and a better environment for tourism.
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‎“Today, everyone would like to become this Kashmir, where there is peace,” he said, adding that he would welcome a similar atmosphere in Delhi.
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‎Sharma also referred to an incident in which a Kashmiri youth was allegedly assaulted in Delhi, condemning the violence and praising the youth for speaking against instability in the country.
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‎He said the youth’s stand reflected concern for India and asserted that the country should not face the kind of unrest witnessed in neighbouring countries.(KNS)