Srinagar: Narendra Modi and Omar Abdullah on Sunday locked horns over the issue of equal rights for women in Jammu and Kashmir with the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate alleging discrimination and citing the CM’s sister as an example, and the NC leader hitting back saying his Gujarat counterpart is either “ill-informed or lying”.
“If Omar married outside Kashmir, his rights of being a citizen remain intact whereas his sister Sara loses the right for the same. Is this not discrimination against the women in the state,” he asked, while addressing 'Lalkar' rally in Jammu. The BJP leader was speaking on the issue of Article 370 of the Constitution which is currently enforce in the state.
“Sara should get the same rights enjoyed by Omar Abdullah in the state,” he said. Sara is married to Union Minister Sachin Pilot who hails from Rajasthan. Modi was suggesting women did not have the same rights as men in the state.
Modi posed a question to the public whether there is discrimination against women in J&K for which the anwser came in loud voice “yes”. "Has Sara got rights?", he further questioned and people said “no”.
Abdullah came out with a series of tweets to attack the Gujarat CM. “He (Modi) very conveniently used me and my sister as examples to illustrate a point that has no bearing on truth. Either he lies or is ill informed,” he tweeted.
“And finally women do not lose their domicile right by marrying non-state subjects regardless of the propaganda surrounding this issue.” He wondered if Modi was actually aware of the provisions of Article 370.
