Srinagar, July 15(KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Tuesday said that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah being manhandled by security forces during his visit to the graveyard was not just a personal slight but amounted to an insult to the democratic mandate given by the people of the Union Territory

“This is a democracy where millions have sacrificed their lives for freedom. Mothers have lost sons, sisters have lost brothers, and many women have lost their husbands. This freedom has come at a high cost,” Choudhary said.

He said that Omar Abdullah leads an elected government under the Constitution of India. “Whatever happened yesterday, whatever the police did, it was not just an insult to Omar Abdullah. It was a democratic insult to Jammu and Kashmir and the country.”
He said that the people who gave the mandate to the government were insulted. “This is not just about statehood. If someone thinks they can hide behind the issue of statehood to justify what happened, we will not accept that. If anyone tries to insult our leader, neither we nor the people of Jammu and Kashmir will tolerate it.”

Choudhary also said that leaders across the country who believe in democracy and the right to speak should condemn the incident.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel“Many have spoken about it. But Congress has remained silent. BJP has not spoken either. They too will have to speak,” he said.

He questioned the silence of national parties and urged them to understand that this was not just about an individual but about the dignity of democratic institutions. “What happened with the elected chief minister and his cabinet is an insult to the assembly and to the Constitution.”

Referring to the statement made by the Lieutenant Governor on the Kulgam attack, Choudhary said, “Yesterday, LG said we are alive to what happened in Kulgam. Today, after 82 days, he remembered it. One day he will also acknowledge what happened with Omar Abdullah.”
He added that the LG should apologise to the people who gave the mandate, and to the Constitution and democracy of India. “He should apologise to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the country’s freedom.”

Choudhary said the leaders had gone to the martyrs’ graveyard to pay tribute to those killed in 1931. “At that time, there was no Constitution, no freedom, and we were under British rule. Those who were martyred then, were resisting oppression. What happened yesterday was also oppression.”(KNS).