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Omar Abdullah claims MLA was offered ₹20-30 crore, ministerial berth, J&K statehood to switch sides; BJP reacts
Abdullah said the MLA rejected the offer given by the BJP official, who also happens to be a Supreme Court lawyer, and informed him about the approach.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has alleged that one of the National Conference's MLAs was approached by a BJP official, who offered ₹20-30 crore and a ministerial berth to switch sides and join the party.
Abdullah said the MLA rejected the offer and informed him about the move.
"A BJP official, a Supreme Court lawyer, told one of my Jammu MLAs in a closed room, 'We will give ₹20 to 30 crore, one ministry, and statehood. You walk with us.' Do they think that the faith of these people is so cheap?" Abdullah asserted while addressing the gathering.
Also Read | ‘Want to light a fire here?’: Omar attacks Centre on delay in restoring Jammu and Kashmir statehood
He further accused the BJP of attempting to come to power through "the back door".
"BJP people, don't consider us so weak. There will be no entry for you from the back door. You will not come to the front chair from the back door. Currently, the people have kept you behind, and you will remain behind," he said.
BJP hits back
The Jammu and Kashmir BJP hit back at Abdullah over his allegation that the party was trying to topple the National Conference government, asking him to either identify the BJP leader allegedly attempting to poach NC MLAs or issue a public apology.
The party also warned that it would initiate legal proceedings against Abdullah if he failed to substantiate his claims.
BJP spokesperson and MLA RS Pathania accused the chief minister of trying to divert attention from his government's alleged failures in governance by making "baseless" allegations against the BJP.
"Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should disclose the names of the MLAs who were allegedly offered money, identify the BJP leaders involved, and reveal when and where the alleged offers were made," he said, according to PTI.
"If such a serious incident occurred, why was it not reported to the investigating agencies? An elected chief minister cannot make such allegations without placing evidence before the authorities," he added.
NC to hold protest over J&K statehood on July 20
National Conference will be holding a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on July 20, demanding the restoration of full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah said no permission has been granted yet to hold the protest, but that it would not stop his party from staging the sit-in.
CM Abdullah said, "We are still in the process of trying to secure that permission. It didn't even take 24 hours for the cockroach party to get permission, whereas we have been at it for four or five days now. Some people are intent on sabotaging our program; they changed their dates to coincide with ours."
Abdullah also appealed to other parties to come together, setting aside electoral battles, to fight for J&K's statehood. He added that he has been wrongly accused of not "consulting others".
"Our July 20 programme is on. We are being accused of not consulting others, but this is not an issue of the National Conference alone. It concerns everyone, whether they belong to political parties or not. All legislators, past and present, have been invited because the fight for statehood is for all," he said.
"I appeal to all the leaders to forget the electoral battle for the next three years and join hands for the fight for statehood. If they stay away because of fear or coercion, they will betray the people," Abdullah added.
(With ANI inputs)
