Srinagar, Oct. 4 -- National Conference president and former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday hit out at the Election Commission of India over the deletion of voters during Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercises across the country and hailed the "courage" behind protests against such practices, saying a "change" was sweeping India.

Abdullah, speaking at the Halla Bol conclave in Srinagar, said that the biggest mistake during the Jawaharlal Nehru administration was not making the EC "totally autonomous".

"We are suffering today. If the EC was autonomous, the situation would not have been like this," he said.

The former CM said that the Narendra Modi government had decided to have two government members and one opposition...