Political Row in J&K After BJP Circulates ‘Missing’ Posters of Omar Abdullah
Speaking to reporters after joining Friday congregational prayers at the lakeside Hazratbal shrine here, he maintained that the BJP was focused on its own political messaging and that the NC had no obligation to engage with it. He also rejected speculation about tensions within the ruling alliance in J&K
SRINAGAR: A fresh political controversy has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) circulated online posters declaring Chief Minister Omar Abdullah “missing.”
The BJP’s J&K unit shared the posters across its social media platforms, claiming Abdullah had been “missing for the last ten days” and inviting the public to provide information about his whereabouts. The move was widely interpreted as a political jibe, especially amid reports that the Chief Minister is currently outside the Union Territory on a personal visit.
His father and ruling National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah responded sharply, dismissing the BJP’s campaign as trivial political theatre. He argued that the party had “nothing better” to do and insisted that the NC would not be drawn into responding to such tactics.
Speaking to reporters after joining Friday congregational prayers at the lakeside Hazratbal shrine here, he maintained that the BJP was focused on its own political messaging and that the NC had no obligation to engage with it.
He also rejected speculation about tensions within the ruling alliance in J&K. He described rumours of a split with the Congress as baseless and attributed them to political adversaries attempting to sow discord. According to him, the alliance remains intact and stable, with no internal rifts.
Addressing the controversy surrounding the demolition of homes belonging to Gujjar and Bakarwal families in Jammu’s Sidhra area, Abdullah distanced both himself and his party from the incident. He clarified that the NC had no involvement and noted that the matter was under investigation. He also highlighted that similar actions had taken place in other parts of Jammu, warning that such measures targetted communities that had historically played a crucial role in safeguarding border regions.
The NC president reserved some of his strongest criticism for opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Responding to PDP allegations that the J&K administration was adopting a governance model similar to that of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Abdullah accused the PDP of hypocrisy. He argued that the party had “created this mess” during its time in power and bore responsibility for the political upheaval that followed the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A.
According to him, the PDP had inflicted significant damage on the erstwhile state and had yet to show remorse for its governance record.
Throughout his remarks, Abdullah maintained that the NC remained committed to stability and accountability in the region, while asserting that political opponents were attempting to deflect attention from their own past actions.
Turning to broader geopolitical concerns, Abdullah expressed hope that the ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States would de-escalate soon. He linked the region’s fuel supply challenges to the West Asia crisis and said that an end to hostilities would ease the difficulties being felt across J&K.
