Suhail Khan
Jammu, Feb 11: It wasn’t quite the climbdown the BJP wanted. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed “regret” in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday over his remarks that prompted a BJP walkout, but stopped well short of an apology — and went on to accuse the opposition of dragging his family into the debate.
According to Kashmir Convener Correspondent covering assembly, As soon as the House assembled on Wednesday, BJP MLAs were on their feet, demanding that the Chief Minister withdraw his “inappropriate” comments. The opposition refused to let the issue pass, raising slogans and seeking an unconditional apology. For a brief while, they walked out.
“I regret if my remarks caused any hurt,” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said. Then came the clarification: “My comments were directed at them and not at their family members.”
But he quickly turned the tables, alleging that the opposition’s “field commander”—an apparent reference to Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma—had brought his late grandfather and National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah into the matter.
That wasn’t all. Even as the BJP legislators returned to the House and continued their protest, Sharma accused the Chief Minister of showing no remorse. “Let him come forward and say it was a slip of tongue. He should apologise. Does he feel no shame?” Sharma told reporters.
Earlier in the day, the LoP had gone after the Speaker, alleging that the Chair was functioning at the behest of the treasury benches. “Proceedings are being conducted under the direction of the government. This is unfortunate for the legislature,” Sharma said, describing the situation as “unfortunate”.
He also attacked the National Conference leadership more broadly, suggesting that being born into the family of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah appeared to breed a sense of entitlement. “They have a history of internal discord,” he said, questioning what could be expected from a House and a Speaker that tolerated such conduct.
Proceedings continued amid the din, but the political message from both sides was clear. The BJP is in no mood to let this go. The government, for now, isn’t budging.
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