Notice issued to J&K PDP candidate for ‘aggravating differences among communities’

Srinagar: Waheed ur Rehman Para, the candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party, has been questioned by the district election officer in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, regarding his comments encouraging people in the Union territory to view the current Lok Sabha elections as a "referendum" in order to send a message to New Delhi. 

Para is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the Srinagar seat. He serves as the chief of the party's youth wing. The notice was issued to Para by the poll officer on Wednesday and he was asked to respond within two days. He was also asked to refrain from making statements that “have the potential of aggravating the differences among communities and can cause discontentment in the society”, Scroll.in reported.

According to PTI, Para recently urged the young people of Kashmir to use the polls as a "referendum" to express their "dissatisfaction" with the decisions made by the Centre after August 2019. On August 5, 2019, the Centre revoked Article 370, which granted the former state of Jammu and Kashmir special status. Additionally, the candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party allegedly stated that New Delhi “should not accept the silence of Kashmir as its acceptance” and that a message needed to be sent to them.

“Do not think they [people of Kashmir] are happy with you [on decisions post August 2019],” he claimed. “They are not. There are many reasons behind it. The future of the people, especially youngsters, is uncertain.”

The notice issued on Wednesday read: “You are asked to refrain from issuing such statement forthwith and also to make clear the exact context and message you wanted to convey to the people.”

All political parties, candidates, and administrations are required to abide by the code, which is a set of rules published by the Election Commission, in the lead-up to an election.

The poll officer said: “Non-compliance with the notice would invite action under the law”.

The Peoples Democratic Party candidate responded to the notice by saying that he owed allegiance to the Constitution. In order for democracy to thrive, Para explained that he had used the word "referendum" to encourage people to cast ballots.