Delhi, June 27 : Amid the ongoing political slugfest between BJP and Congress over the Emergency period and comparisons to authoritarian rule, Jailed Member of Parliament and Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) leader Engineer Rashid has announced that he will observe a 24-hour hunger strike inside Tihar Jail, starting 8:00 p.m. Saturday, June 28 to 8:00 p.m. Sunday, June 29.
According to AIP Chief Spokesperson Inam Un Nabi, Engineer Rashid conveyed this decision during a recent meeting with his family, stating that the duplicity and hypocrisy of both BJP and Congress in accusing each other of throttling democracy while being complicit in suppressing the voices of Kashmiris, must be exposed.
“It is unfortunate that both parties are leaving no stone unturned to accuse each other of bulldozing liberty, freedom and fundamental rights during their respective regimes. Yet, both are partners in crime when it comes to snatching the constitutional, democratic and human rights of Kashmiris,” Jailed MP Er Rashid told his family.
He further remarked, “While the BJP is correctly highlighting the atrocities committed during the 1975 Emergency, it conveniently forgets how it has treated Kashmiris over the past 11 years—jailing legitimate political voices, silencing dissent and branding political belief as criminality. Congress and others on the other hand, accuse the Modi government of imposing an undeclared emergency but remain silent about the hundreds of Kashmiris languishing in Tihar and other prisons under draconian laws like UAPA, simply for their political beliefs.”
Engineer Rashid’s hunger strike aims to remind the people of India that while debates rage over the Emergency of 1975 and suppression of dissent under the Modi government, the continuous denial of rights to Kashmiris since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019 must not be forgotten.
He has formally conveyed his decision to the jail authorities regarding the proposed day-long hunger strike.
