Irfan Ahmad

Srinagar, Jul 11 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday asked the Centre not to treat his patience for the restoration of

New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) The BJP on Saturday termed as "extremely irresponsible and baseless" Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's allegation that it

New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI) The BJP on Sunday lashed out at Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his accusation that it is trying to poach his National Conference party MLAs, saying that instead of making "speculative and baseless" claims, he should "introspect" on what kind of leaders he has in his party. On Saturday, Abdullah accused the BJP of trying to bring down his government in Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) by engineering a split in the ruling National Conference, claiming that his party MLAs were offered Rs 20-30 crore to switch sides. Addressing a packed workers' convention at the mausoleum of his grandparents at Hazratbal on the 26th death anniversary of his grandmother, Akbar Jehan, in Srinagar, Abdullah claimed the BJP was using money power to poach his MLAs. When asked, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra categorically rejected Abdulla's charge as "speculative and without any basis", saying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not believe in any action that deals a blow to democracy or runs counter to the democratic spirit. "I find it astonishing when any leader speaks about his own party members in such a way, claiming that his people can be bought for sums like Rs 30 crore or Rs 12 crore," the BJP MP said. "It reminds me of the time when Sushma (Swaraj) asked in Parliament: Are your MPs up for sale? Are your MLAs up for sale?.. Do you not even have enough faith in your own leaders to trust that they won't sell themselves?" Patra said, adding, "I feel that if this is the case, there ought to be some introspection as to what kind of people are in the party who can be bought." On Saturday, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sudhansu Trivedi slammed Abdullah, describing his charge as "extremely irresponsible and baseless". Trivedi also demanded that the J-K chief minister either provide "evidence" to substantiate his allegation or apologise. J-K BJP spokesperson and MLA R S Pathania said if Abdullah does not apologise, the BJP will "file a defamation case against him for making misleading and unsubstantiated allegations intended to create confusion among the people". Trivedi further said claimed Abdullah made such a "baseless" allegation just to deflect public attention from his government's "incompetence, inaction and misgovernance" in J-K. Speaking in the same vein, Pathania said, "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. "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 Pathania said the National Conference received a five-year mandate but was "exposed" within the first year itself for "failing" to honour its promises. PTI PK KSI KSI

Jammu, Jul 12 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday launched a sharp attack against the BJP, accusing it of engineering political defec

Jammu, Jul 12 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday asserted that the July 20 demonstration in Delhi will mark the beginning of a new p

Srinagar, Jul 13 (PTI) PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Monday accused the BJP of turning the issue of the 'martyrs' of 1931 into a communal matter, saying those killed by the Dogra Maharaja's soldiers sacrificed their lives fighting the "autocratic rule". The former chief minister paid tributes to the 22 protestors, who died on this day in 1931, at the PDP headquarters here. The authorities had placed restrictions around the martyr's graveyard in Naqshband Sahib area of the city to prevent people, including politicians, from paying their tributes. Speaking to reporters at the party office, Mehbooba said 22 Kashmiris sacrificed their lives outside Srinagar Central Jail against the "autocratic rule". "They raised their voice against the autocratic rule of that time, its oppression and tyranny, and awakened our nation," she said. Drawing parallels with Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, and Ashfaqullah Khan, Mehbooba said while the people of Kashmir acknowledge and respect their sacrifices, the BJP has turned the issue of the martyrs of 1931 into a communal issue. "As far as the sacrifice of Kashmiris is concerned, the BJP has made it a Hindu-Muslim issue, it has made it a Dogra-Kashmiri issue, it has made it a Jammu-Kashmir issue. Our elders raised their voice against the autocratic rule at that time and became martyrs and sacrificed themselves," she said. Asserting that the BJP cannot put restrictions on the minds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the PDP president said "these martyrs awakened our nation, and laid the foundation for the people's rule that we see today". "So, even if the BJP tries harder, it won't be able to control our minds. They are our heroes. Just like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Ashfaqullah Khan, and Gandhi ji are. Just as (Nathuram) Godse is the hero of BJP, these people who were martyred in 1931 for the sake of the people's rule, they are our martyrs and will remain so. No matter how many restrictions they impose, no matter how many barbed wires they put up," she added. Terming the restrictions as an "excess done by the BJP", Mehbooba claimed she was placed under house arrest on Sunday while Naqshband Sahib area was completely sealed and checkpoints were put up on Monday. "I think this is an excess by the BJP, they should not do this. If they cannot respect our martyrs, then at least they should not stop us from paying tribute to them," she said. Mehbooba's daughter, Iltija Mufti also accused the BJP of trying to "distort" and "erase" J-K's history. "The police is not even allowing us to take few steps outside (the party office). They want to erase and distort our history. This Martyr's day is not illegal, it is not seditious. These are the people who sacrificed their lives, it is because of them that democracy came to Jammu and Kashmir. They raised their voice against the injustice done by Dogra rulers, it is because of them that the seeds of democracy were sown," Iltija said. She said the party leaders were "imprisoned", but they did not want to break any law. "I want to tell the LG and the administration here that you cannot erase or rewrite our history. The people of Kashmir will themselves decide who their heroes or villains are. The Martyr's are heroes for us, and we will always salute them and their spirit," she said. PTI SSB DV DV

Students and government employees participate in anti-drug abuse rally in Srinagar as part of 100-day 'Nasha Mukt J-K Abhiyaan' campaign organized by All Sikh Minority Employees As

Srinagar, Jul 16 (PTI) Kashmir's chief preacher Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Thursday visited the residence of National Conference (NC) leader and uncle

Srinagar, Jul 15 (PTI) A court here on Thursday gave its nod to the renewal of National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah's passport for a year but

Srinagar, Jul 18 (PTI) Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Saturday said his colleague Dharmendra Pradhan need not resign over the NEET paper leak, claiming that action has been taken against those involved in the scam.