Kashmir Impulse Desk

Jammu, July 13

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday served a legal notice on Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, demanding that he either substantiate allegations that the party tried to induce National Conference (NC) legislators to defect or issue an unconditional public apology within seven days.

The notice, issued on behalf of the BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit, warned that failure to comply would result in civil and criminal defamation proceedings, including a claim for damages of Rs 100 crore.

The dispute stems from remarks made by Abdullah at a National Conference meeting on July 11, in which he alleged that a Supreme Court lawyer associated with the BJP had approached some NC legislators from the Jammu region with offers of between Rs 20 crore and Rs 30 crore, a ministerial position and the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood in exchange for switching political allegiance.

In the notice, the BJP described the allegations as “false, baseless and defamatory,” saying they had damaged the party’s reputation and were unsupported by evidence.

The party demanded that Abdullah withdraw the allegations in writing, refrain from repeating them and issue an unconditional public apology within seven days.

“The statements are entirely untrue, malicious and without any factual basis,” the notice said, adding that the remarks amounted to defamation under both civil and criminal law.

The BJP said it would initiate legal proceedings if the chief minister failed to comply within the stipulated period.

Speaking to reporters in Jammu, BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir president Sat Sharma said the allegations were intended to tarnish the party’s image and that legal action had become necessary because of the seriousness of the claims.

“No amount can compensate for the damage caused to the party’s reputation, but we have decided to pursue legal remedies available under the law,” Sharma said.

The legal notice marks a further escalation in political tensions between the ruling National Conference-Congress alliance and the BJP, the principal opposition party in Jammu and Kashmir.

The confrontation comes as the National Conference intensifies its campaign for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, which was revoked in August 2019 when the federal government abolished the region’s special constitutional status and reorganised it into two federally administered territories.

Political exchanges between the two parties have sharpened in recent weeks ahead of the National Conference’s proposed protest in New Delhi later this month demanding the restoration of statehood.