Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday (July 13) called a legal notice from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a “love letter”, saying it proves he remains a political force the saffron party cannot ignore. The BJP has threatened to seek Rs 100 crore in damages if the former did not retract his words in written and issue a public apology.
“I have received a letter from a lawyer, an electronic copy. I consider this a great honour as I am the only politician in Jammu and Kashmir to have been bestowed with a love letter like this by the BJP. I consider it a mark of respect that I am obviously a political force in Jammu and Kashmir that they cannot ignore,” Abdullah told reporters at the headquarters of his Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) in Srinagar.
BJP offering cash, ministerial berths, promising statehood: Abdullah
His statement came after the BJP’s unit in the Union Territory (UT) served the notice, two days after Abdullah alleged the party tried to bribe JKNC legislators with cash worth between Rs 20 and Rs 30 crore, ministerial posts, and a promise of restoring statehood to topple his government, reigniting the notorious ‘Operation Lotus’ conspiracy allegations.
Also read: Omar Abdullah escalates statehood fight with ‘Delhi Chalo’ call
The BJP called the chief minister’s allegations “false, baseless and defamatory” and sought a written retraction and an unconditional public apology within a week. It warned that if its demands aren’t met within the stipulated period, it will pursue civil and criminal proceedings, including a defamation suit seeking Rs 100 crore in damages, along with other legal remedies available to it.
JKNC-BJP clash when many opposition parties have split
The clash between the BJP and the NC, which is part of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, has happened at a time when some of the major opposition parties in the country, including the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), have seen a crack with the dissenting members joining the BJP.
Abdullah brought the allegations while addressing his party’s workers at Hazratbal last week, saying the saffron opponents wanted to bring down the JKNC government in Jammu and Kashmir by engineering a split. He claimed that one of his party MLAs from Jammu told him that he was offered between Rs 20-30 crore and a ministerial berth to join the BJP.
The chief minister also said on Monday that he was expecting a political response from the BJP since he had issued a political statement. However, the opposition party took a legal route to respond.
“It is symbolic of the way the BJP fights. They take political fights and hide behind the courts. I could have made the same statement and hid behind the assembly. I could have taken advantage of the privileges afforded to me by making the statements in the Assembly which cannot be challenged outside the Assembly, but I did not,” he said.
He also noted that many saffron leaders in the UT have brought slanderous charges against his party over the past few months. Warning that the JKNC would also do something similar going forward, Abdullah said, “Particularly, one leader has time and again levelled unfounded and slanderous allegations against us, but we have been fighting him politically. Going on now, we will begin the process of sending legal notices to that particular BJP leader and a few others and let’s see where this process ends.”
Also read: Near-miss in Jammu: Who failed to protect Farooq Abdullah and why?
The BJP’s notice was issued through advocate Parimoksh Seth on the instructions of the party’s state president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Paul Sharma. It contends that the chief minister’s statements have caused serious damage to the reputation and public standing of the BJP and its office-bearers.
A BJP spokesperson confirmed that the party has sent the notice to the chief minister.
‘Untrue, malicious, not factual’
The three-page notice, which cited Abdullah bringing the allegations of poaching, referred to the chief minister’s allegation that a senior BJP office-bearer, who is also a lawyer practising in the Supreme Court, allegedly played a role in offering the inducements.
Also read: Omar Abdullah under fire from NC MP for not condemning Khamenei assassination
“Issue an unconditional public apology within seven days of receiving the notice. Refrain from publishing or circulating any further defamatory material concerning the BJP. Immediately cease and desist from making or repeating any such statements,” it said.
(With agency inputs)
Comments are closed.