File photo: Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah
SRINAGAR/JAMMU: BJP served a Rs 100-crore defamation notice on J&K CM Omar Abdullah on Monday over his allegation that a party functionary tried to poach one of his National Conference MLAs from Jammu by offering up to Rs 30 crore, a ministerial berth and restoration of statehood to switch sides.Issued on behalf of J&K BJP president Sat Sharma, the notice calls Omar’s allegations “false, baseless and defamatory”, demands an unconditional public apology within seven days and asks him to stop repeating the claims. It warns that failure to comply would invite civil and criminal proceedings, including a Rs 100-crore defamation suit. The notice was sent by email.Omar brushed it aside, saying: “I consider it a great honour because I am probably the only politician in J&K to receive such a love letter from BJP. I take it as a mark of respect because it shows they consider me a political force they cannot ignore.”He accused BJP of shifting a political battle to the courtroom. “Instead of responding politically, they choose to hide behind the courts. I could have made the same statement in J&K assembly and taken advantage of legislative privilege… But I deliberately made it at a political event because I expected BJP to respond politically.” “If that is the approach they want to take, so be it,” he added.The CM also warned of a legal counteroffensive, saying BJP functionaries in J&K had made “baseless and defamatory allegations” against NC and its brass in recent months. “From now on, we will also begin the process of sending legal notices to BJP functionaries. Let’s see where this process leads.”Addressing an NC rally in Srinagar on July 11, Omar had alleged that “a BJP functionary, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer”, approached one of his MLAs from Jammu with an offer of Rs 20 crore-Rs 30 crore, a ministerial berth and a promise of statehood to defect.Rejecting the charge, BJP said the allegation was “entirely untrue, malicious and without any factual basis” and had caused serious damage to the party’s reputation.
