CHENNAI : “The prime minister recently said that he considers India to be the mother of democracy. So if India is the mother of democracy, then I believe dissent is democracy’s firstborn child,” former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday.
Speaking at the 11th edition of the TNIE ThinkEdu Conclave 2023 in Chennai, Abdullah highlighted the importance of dissent in a democratic society.
“Small things like Facebook posts can result in arbitrary arrests; cartoons and comedy sketches have seen people being arrested. None of this is healthy for this country,” said Abdullah.
The former chief minister highlighted the injustice of his eight-month detention for no reason but his disagreement with the government.
Speaking about Article 370, he said he is hopeful. “Because if the government had a strong case to make in the Supreme Court, they would have done everything possible to ensure the hearings had started by now,” he said.