The hate speech of BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate Varun Gandhi did not threaten national security and a law other than the National Security Act could have been invoked to deal with it, says Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.At the same time, he said he found Varun’s remarks to be “distasteful” and that he was both “disappointed” and “surprised” by them.
“It was a hate speech but it didn’t threaten national security. I am sure there are other rules and other laws that could have been used,” he told NDTV.“If we weren’t in the the middle of an election season which tends to become a silly season, possibly this act (NSA) wouldn’t have been used. I have a feeling that the use of NSA is perhaps more political than actually legally required,” Abdullah said.
The National Conference leader said he did not expect such remarks from “somebody with that background, that education, having studied in the United Kingdom, belonging to the family he does”.