Farooq summoned again, NC cries coercion

By: Muzammil Bhat MK

Srinagar

Former Chief Minister and sitting MP of Srinagar was summoned again by ED triggering fresh political reactions in Kashmir. Already many political parties at the central level including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have said that the central government was using CBI and ED against its opponents.

Farooq was summoned again as he was earlier also grilled for seven hours by ED in their Rajbagh office. After the fresh summons National Conference on Wednesday said that ED summon to party President Dr Farooq Abdullah, a day after he was questioned by the same agency for a marathon of six hours, was nothing but a method of coercion.

Terming these ED summons “calculated”, part of “coercive measures”, the party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said that it is aimed at curtailing Dr Farooq’s efforts to weave unity among mainstream political parties in J&K.

Calling the repeated ED summons, pressure tactics, he said, “What is it that ED forgot to ask during the six hours it interrogated an 83 yr old Member of Parliament?”

The government and its agencies, the spokesperson said, has no consideration for a law abiding citizen who is severely immunocompromised and diabetic.

“Dr Abdullah being treated like this is a proof that the BJP is not even interested in a face saving act and is completely comfortable with being seen as a bully by the nation,” he said.

“How many times will BJP use CBI, ED, anti corruption Bureau and its other agencies to browbeat opposition? The plot has become predictable. Anyone who speaks against the government or musters courage against its divisive politics will be hounded and summoned,” he added.

“The only way to get a clean chit these days is to surrender one’s ideology and join the BJP. We’ve seen this story play out from Assam to Karnataka, from West Bengal to Andhra Pradesh but Dr Abdullah is not going to surrender to the BJP, come what may”, party spokesperson said.