SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he feels honoured to have received a “love letter” in the form of a legal notice from the BJP as it proves that he is a political force they cannot ignore.
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Monday served a legal notice to Abdullah over his claim that the national party had attempted to bribe National Conference legislators with cash and ministerial berths in a bid to topple his government.
“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 National Conference (NC) headquarters here.
The chief minister was responding to a question about the BJP’s legal notice to him, threatening a Rs 100 crore defamation suit if he fails to prove the allegations of MLA poaching or issue a public apology.
Abdullah said he was expecting a political response from the BJP since he had made a political statement; however, they chose the legal route.
“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.
Abdullah noted that several BJP leaders from Jammu and Kashmir have made slanderous accusations against the NC and its leadership over the past few months.
“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,” he said.
The legal notice from the BJP asserts that the allegations amount to defamation under both civil and criminal law and calls upon the chief minister to withdraw his charges in writing.
“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. — (PTI)