Disability rights activist and member Delhi State Steering Committee on Accessible Elections Satendra Singh has written to Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha “regarding the use of disability as abuse in run-up to General Election 2019.”
Pointing to the series of violations, Dr. Singh said that on March 2, while taking an impromptu dig at his political rivals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended up mocking dyslexic students via video conference during the finals of the Smart India Hackathon at IIT Kharagpur. On February 8 this year Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “ulta chor chowkidaar ko daante” remark and asked if he is suffering from schizophrenia. Last year in September, Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey said that the Congress president was “mentally unfit and that he should be admitted to a mental hospital for treatment.”
Dr. Singh said that these uncalled for remarks from the PM were “shocking”.
The physician has requested the EC to step forward and act swiftly in the wake of such repeated incidents so that voters with disabilities feel supported and empowered. “The Commission should issue a stern warning to all political parties to use respectful language for people with disabilities and also to highlight provisions of Disability Act in the event of contravention,’’ he said.