Farooq Abdullah's arrest under PSA blatant misuse of power by Centre: Tarun Gogoi

Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday termed the detention of Jammu and Kashmir MP Farooq Abdullah under the Public Safety Act (PSA) "blatant misuse of power" by the Centre.

"An old leader like Farooq Abdullah has been arrested, put under house arrest, under PSA. This is nothing but a blatant misuse of power by the Modi government. It has violated the constitutional provisions, such draconian methods have exposed the dictatorial attitude of the Modi government," Gogoi told reporters here.

Further attacking the Centre for its decisions on the Jammu and Kashmir front, Gogoi said, "The mishandling of the situation of Jammu and Kashmir has deteriorated to such an extent that even the Supreme Court had to intervene and give instructions to the Central government to take all measures to restore normalcy as early as possible."

He further said that senior leaders of the nation like Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury seeking permission for visiting the region from the apex court revealed the gravity of the situation.

"Curbing the freedom of press and the right to dissent is a dangerous signal for democracy. The situation has degraded to such an extent that people are scared to speak freely and fearlessly. It is a matter of serious concern," he said.

He urged the Centre to call an all-party meeting on the topic and not go against the wishes of the people from the region.

"The situation is so serious that the government of India should call an all-party meeting. I appeal to them not to ignore the voices of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We want the people of the region to enjoy all the freedom and rights that the people in the rest of India are enjoying," Gogoi said.