Srinagar's National Conference MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi on Sunday accused the Jammu and Kashmir government of using "cheap tactics" to silence him after an anti-corruption watchdog dug out an old case against him.
He said he would continue to raise his voice till the Centre restored Article 370 and minority rights.
Mehdi has emerged as one of the foremost voices seeking the restoration of Article 370 after it was scrapped in 2019, helping him win the Srinagar seat comfortably last year. He has at times crossed swords with his own party for allegedly toning down its stand.
Jammu and Kashmir's anti-corruption bureau on Saturday produced a chargesheet in a two-decade-old land compensation case against 22 people, including Mehdi, for allegedly receiving fraudulent payments and tampering with revenue records in Budgam district.
The chargesheet claimed that officials of the revenue and agriculture department had conspired with some beneficiaries to fraudulently inflate the land records to claim excess compensation.
Ruhullah said the land in question originally belonged to his grandfather and the compensation was awarded legally to all heirs, including his family.
"I am the third in line of inheritance. I had no involvement in any negotiation or decision-making related to the land," he said.
Mehdi called the allegations politically motivated and baseless and said he would not be silenced.
"You cannot silence me with fabricated cases. If you want to silence me, restore Article 370, uphold minority rights and return dignity to the people of Jammu and Kashmir," he said at a news conference.
The Srinagar MP said Jammu and Kashmir's "Delhi-controlled viceroy", an apparent reference to lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, had cracked a joke on people on April 13 instead of April 1, April Fools' Day, with such a move.
Mehdi suggested that Delhi was trying to silence him for his stand on Article 370 and minority rights in the country. He accused the Centre of marginalising minorities and misusing legal institutions to stifle dissent.
