Lok Sabha Elections 2024: This is Gandhi's India, not Modi's: Farooq Abdullah slams BJP’s 'Hindu-Muslim division'

Srinagar: The BJP wants to divide Hindus and Muslims in the country, but they will not succeed "as this is MK Gandhi's India and not Narendra Modi's", National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said on Friday.

"They want to divide Hindus and Muslims. But, Hindus and Muslims will not get divided. This is Gandhi's India and not Modi's India. This is Gandhi's, (Jawahar Lal) Nehru's and Rajendra Prasad's India," Abdullah told reporters in Chrar-e-Shareef in central Kashmir's Budgam district after an election rally.

Asked about his stand questioning the functioning of EVMs, Abdullah said, "I only told them (people) to check the light and beep on the machine, and if there is no sound, then inform the officials about it. I also told people to check the paper (VVPAT)," he added.

On Thursday, the NC president described the EVMs as "theft machines" and said if the opposition INDIA bloc comes to power at the Centre, the EVMs "would be thrown into a river".

Asked to respond to former Congress leader and DPAP chief Ghulam Nabi Azad's attack on NC, Abdullah said, "Azad was a Congressman for 50 years and became whatever he is today. Now he is slamming them after taking money from Delhi, from the BJP. I regret that I brought him back when I gave him Rajya Sabha membership in 1996," the NC president said.