BJP sends legal notice to Omar Abdullah over horse-trading allegations; seeks public apology within 7 days
PTC Web Desk: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP has fired off a legal notice to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, taking strong exception to his recent claims that the party tried to lure National Conference MLAs away with cash and ministerial berths.
Speaking to NC workers at Hazratbal last week, Omar Abdullah made a pointed allegation that the BJP was working behind the scenes to split his party and topple his government. He went further claiming that one of his own MLAs from the Jammu region had approached him with a startling story: a BJP offer of Rs 20-30 crore in cash along with a ministerial post, in exchange for switching sides.
Sent through advocate Parimoksh Seth on the instructions of J&K BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Pal Sharma, the three-page notice brands Abdullah's allegations as false, baseless and damaging to the party's reputation.
According to the notice, the Chief Minister had alleged that BJP functionaries reached out to select NC legislators from Jammu, dangling not just money and ministries but also the promise of restored statehood if they crossed over. There's also a specific claim referenced in the notice that a senior BJP leader, who also practices as a lawyer in the Supreme Court, played a key role in extending these alleged inducements.
The party has dismissed all of it as completely untrue and driven by an intent to tarnish its public image.
Through the notice, BJP has laid down a clear set of conditions for Omar Abdullah: Apologise publicly and unconditionally within seven days of receiving the notice; retract the allegations in writing; stop making or repeating such statements going forward and refrain from spreading any further content the party considers defamatory.
The notice also has a warning. If Abdullah fails to comply within the given timeframe, the BJP says it will move an appropriate court and pursue both civil and criminal proceedings. That includes a defamation suit seeking damages worth Rs 100 crore, on top of any other legal remedies available to the party.
A BJP spokesperson has confirmed that the notice has already been served to the Chief Minister's office.
- With inputs from agencies
