EC should not rush into pan-India SIR, wait for Bihar election to get over: Omar Abdullah
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the Election Commission should not rush to carry out a nationwide special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, but rather wait for the Bihar assembly election to get over.
According to officials, the Election Commission is likely to announce a pan-India SIR of the voters' list on Monday evening.
Speaking to reporters in his assembly office chamber here after the House proceedings were adjourned for the day, Abdullah said, "There are already apprehensions about SIR in Bihar. It is not clear yet whether there will be any benefits of this exercise for those undertaking it."
"Let the elections in Bihar be completed, then we will see whether it was beneficial at all. Then we can talk about implementing it in the rest of the country," he said.
He advised the poll body not to "rush into a nationwide SIR".
"Otherwise, it will seem as if ECI has lost its independence and is working under pressure from a particular political party. We have seen this before as well.
"Delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir was not done for the benefit of the people but for a political party. The way new seats were divided and new seats created; it directly benefited only one political party. The EC should not make this kind of mistake," the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister added.
Abdullah rubbished suggestions that there was an understanding between his National Conference (NC) and the BJP for the election to the four Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir.
While NC won three seats, BJP managed a victory on one seat in the polling held last week.
Rejecting such insinuations, "There was no understanding (with the BJP on RS polls). Please understand that the National Conference is the only party in Jammu and Kashmir which takes the BJP head-on. Nobody else is doing that."
"We are not those who enter into secret pacts. If we had to do it, we would have done it openly. I did not support the Vajpayee government behind closed doors; I joined the NDA. Whether it was right or wrong, is another issue," the chief minister said.
Abdullah said he wants the relations between his government and the Centre to be cordial so that governance is not affected.
He, however, pointed out that there is a huge difference in relations between governments and relations between the NC and the BJP. "There is no relation between NC and the BJP, and it will not form in future also."
Responding to Handwara MLA Sajad Gani Lone's accusation that the Rajya Sabha polls were a "fixed match", Abdullah said he did not understand why a person would comment on an election when he was not even ready to take part.
"Let him first say what was his compulsion to help the BJP. If he did not want match fixing to take place, he should have used his vote," he said.
Abdullah said the media was acting surprised over the outcome of the Rajya Sabha polls.
"You had declared the outcome much before the voting began. Were you also part of the match-fixing? We still fought it out. The difficulty started with MLA Handwara sitting out. BJP needed only 29 after that, and they had 28. One or two would have been easy for them, but I didn't think they would get four. Now those four who sold their conscience will have to answer to Allah or Bhagwan," he said.
The NC leader said he would like the names of the MLAs who cross-voted or deliberately wasted their votes to come out in public. "Four votes went in favour of the BJP, three deliberately destroyed their votes. Clearly, the BJP attempted to lure people. On what basis they were lured, only the BJP can answer," he added.
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'PM is scared of questions': Cong slams govt after IYC chief's arrest
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib was arrested in connection with the shirtless protest at the AI Impact Summit, saying the PM is "scared" of dissent and questions being asked of him.
Chib was arrested by Delhi Police in connection with the shirtless protest staged by a group of youth wing members at the AI Impact Summit here last week, officials said on Tuesday.
Police have also stepped up security across key locations in the capital in anticipation of possible protests following Chib's arrest, which took the total number of people held in the case to eight.
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Asked about Chib's arrest, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera told PTI Videos, "It is the duty of the opposition to protest in a democracy but a dictator will never understand this."
"If you hear the speech of that dictator in Meerut recently you will get to know that the word democracy does not exist in his dictionary," Khera said, in a swipe at the prime minister.
Chib as well as other colleagues are being arrested from various parts of the country, Khera, who is in Bhopal for the party's Kisan Maha Chaupal against the India-US interim trade deal, said,
"This shows that Narendra Modi is scared of dissent and questions being asked of him. Narendra Modi is emerging as the most cowardly Prime Minister in the world. He is being blackmailed, he is a coward, he is scared," Khera alleged.
"It has been the Congress' history that no matter how much oppression we face, we will continue to raise issues of the people and will keep fighting with 'Ahimsa'," he said.
Police had earlier arrested seven Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers, including three from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, for the protest at the Bharat Mandapam last Friday. They have been identified as Jitendra Yadav, Raj Gujjar and Ajay Kumar.
In addition, IYC's Uttar Pradesh general secretary Ritik alias Monty Shukla has been detained from Lalitpur in the state.
Senior officers said additional force has been deployed at the sensitive points, particularly in New Delhi, a hotspot for political demonstrations.
Security has been tightened around the Tilak Marg police station, where Chib is presently held, while barricades have been put up at the strategic points, with anti-riot teams on standby.
Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) and additional companies of paramilitary forces have also been placed on alert to respond to any law and order situation, officials said.
Senior officers have directed the field staff to ensure that traffic movement remains smooth.
On Friday, a group of IYC workers staged a dramatic protest inside Hall No. 5 of the summit venue by removing their shirts to reveal T-shirts printed with slogans against the government and the India-US interim trade deal, before being whisked away by security personnel.
Police said the accused had registered online and obtained QR codes to gain entry into the venue.
The incident triggered a political slugfest, with the BJP calling it a "shameful act to tarnish India's image on the global stage", and the IYC defending it as a "peaceful" demonstration aimed at safeguarding national interests.
VIDEO | Delhi: On arrest of Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib in connection with 'shirtless' protest staged by a group of IYC members at the AI Impact Summit last week, Congress leader Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) says, "Protesting is the duty and responsibility of the… pic.twitter.com/2MOujnPDLX
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 24, 2026
