Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday hit out at the Modi government, asking on what grounds leaders of her party were prevented from addressing the media and later taken into custody in Jammu and Kashmir.
Asking whether it was a crime to speak to the media, Priyanka tweeted, “On what grounds have Congress leaders in J&K been arrested? Is it a crime to speak to the media? It’s now 15 days since ex CM’s who respected and abided by the Constitution of India just like our leaders, have been under arrest.”
“Even their families have not been allowed to communicate with them. Does the Modi-Shah Government believe India is still a democracy?” she said in another tweet with hashtag ‘#StopIllegalArrestsInKashmir’.
Her reaction comes after the Congress’ state unit was prevented from addressing the media on Friday. Police detained party’s J&K unit chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma and placed its state president Ghulam Ahmed Mir under house arrest.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram dubbed the detention of Mir as outrageously illegal. The former Union minister said that he is hopeful that courts will take cognisance of the matter.
“There was no written order of detention. Outrageously illegal … I hope the courts will act and secure the liberty of citizens,” he tweeted.
Earlier on Friday, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had condemned the arrest of Mir and Sharma. “I strongly condemn the arrest of our J&K PCC Chief, Shri Ghulam Ahmed Mir & spokesperson, Shri Ravinder Sharma in Jammu today. With this unprovoked action against a national political party, the Govt has delivered democracy another body blow. When will this madness end?” he had said.
Several state political parties leaders including former CM Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah have been placed under preventive detention ever since the Central government scrapped Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.