Mirwaiz says youths can question Kashmiri separatists
Srinagar, June 5: Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq on Tuesday defended a youth who questioned the bona fides of separatist leaders in Kashmir, saying young people like him have every right to vent their emotions.
Irfan Sheikh, a cousin of Kaiser Ahmad who was mowed down by a Central Reserve Police Force vehicle in Srinagar last week, challenged the separatist leaders who came to offer condolences to the deceased.
The video of Sheikh was widely circulated on Internet, generating debates on social media and on national television news channels.
Reacting, the Mirwaiz wrote on Twitter: "Indian media repeatedly exposes their shallowness and frustration! The youth of Kashmir like Irfan Sheikh, who are at the forefront of the freedom movement, giving immense sacrifices, have every right to question their leadership and vent their emotions.
"Actually this section of electronic media lives off spreading hate and propaganda about Kashmir. They have a deep vested interest in it. Kashmir and Hurriyat bashing has become a great TRP grosser for them!"
In the video, Sheikh is heard saying that there is duplicity in the approach of the separatist leaders.
"On the one hand you are greeting Shabir Shah's daughter for excelling in exams as a student of a Delhi Public School and on the other hand you are asking Kashmiris not to send children to Christian missionary schools.
"Against the sayings and practices of the Prophet, who said Muslims should hasten the burial of their dead, you kept my cousin's body on the road for three hours. Is that the teaching of the holy Prophet?" he asked.
Sheikh also said that Kaiser had left behind two sisters who have nobody in the world after their brother's death.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
