Srinagar,May 11: In response to a notice for MCC violation after a song,posted by Sajad Gani Lone on his Twitter handle, he writes response to the notice “I am writing in response to the show cause notice I received regarding the video shared on my Twitter account.
Firstly, I’d like to clarify that the video in question is not an official song of the J&K Peoples Conference but rather a creation by young Kashmiri artists expressing the sentiments of our people.
I firmly believe that merely sharing such a song, which reflects creativity and talent of young people, should not be
seen as a violation of electoral norms. Our opponents not only share various provocative songs, videos but also make provocative statements repeatedly alleging me to be a militant. If sharing a song construes as a violation of the MCC, then how does the ECI allow our opponents to make frivolous accusations which can put my and my party
workers’ lives at risk. This selective monitoring depicts bias on the part of Election Authority towards our Party.
I will cite another instance of bias. When Mr. Omar Abdullah, a Z-plus protected person, addressed public rallies and road shows in Kupwara, the local administration facilitated by scaling off those roads for public movement however when I hold public programs of such kind, no such facilitation is seen from the administration even though
I am also a Z-plus protected person.
The Election Commision must apply the rules uniformly and desist from selective scrutiny and that fairness and equality are indispensable in preserving the integrity of the electoral process.
It is disconcerting to observe a pattern where the Election Commission singles out our party for scrutiny while displaying leniency towards others. We firmly assert that mistakes of the past, such as those in 1987, characterized by biased approaches of the administration, should not be repeated.
I’s crucial to acknowledge that the 1987 rigging was a pivotal moment that precipitated the emergence of the gun culture and subsequent bloodshed in Kashmir. Thousands of lives have been lost in the violence that ensued from
the events of 1987, yet closure remains elusive.
Ironically, the party responsible for the 1987 rigging still enjoys the luxury of anonymously lodging complaints against their opponents, while the administration appears to bend over backwards to accommodate these unjust complaints and swiftly take action against their opponents. This asymmetrical treatment perpetuates a sense of
injustice and undermines the democratic process.
A level playing field must be extended to all political entities without prejudice. The Election Commission must avoid disparate treatment of political parties. Rules applied to JKPC should be uniformly applied to all political entities, including the NC. And let me assure you that JKPC believes in rule of law and the Party will be more than
willing to abide by the rules and guidelines irrespective of the fact that our opponents are being given undue preferential treatment by the authorities.
It is requested that the District Election Officer & Chairman District MCMC Kupwara may please consider grant of permission to use this song by the Party. However, it is assured that till necessary permission is not granted by District MCMC Kupwara, the Party will not share or use this song any further”.
