Jammu, July 11: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday strongly rejected Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s allegation that BJP had attempted to lure MLAs with cash to engineer defections, demanding that he either present credible evidence before the appropriate authorities or issue an unconditional public apology.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu, BJP MLA R.S. Pathania, according to the Kashmir News Corner (KNC), termed the Chief Minister’s statement “false, baseless and politically motivated,” asserting that such allegations cannot be made without supporting evidence.
Pathania said that if the Chief Minister possesses proof of any attempt to bribe elected representatives, he should immediately submit it to the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), or any competent investigating agency. “If no evidence exists, the Chief Minister must publicly withdraw his remarks and tender an unconditional apology. Failing that, the BJP will initiate criminal defamation and other appropriate legal proceedings,” he said.
Questioning the credibility of the allegation, the BJP leader asked why no complaint or FIR had been registered if any MLA had indeed been offered money to switch political loyalties.
He sought answers on who allegedly made the offer, which BJP functionary was involved, which National Conference legislator was approached, and where and when the alleged incident took place.
Pathania maintained that allegations of bribing legislators are extremely serious and directly undermine democratic institutions. He said such claims should be backed by verifiable facts rather than being used as political rhetoric.
The BJP MLA further alleged that the Chief Minister was attempting to divert public attention from governance issues and criticism emerging within the ruling alliance. He claimed that during the recent Dachigam meeting, several ruling party MLAs themselves raised allegations of corruption against ministers in the government.
Reaffirming the BJP’s commitment to democratic values and constitutional principles, Pathania said the party would firmly defend its reputation against what he described as “false, malicious and unsubstantiated allegations” through all available legal means, including a criminal defamation case if no apology is forthcoming.—(KNC)
