Jammu, Jul 11 (KNO): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday asked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to either produce evidence of BJP offering cash to MLAs for defections or tender an unconditional public apology for what it termed a “baseless and irresponsible” statement.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu, BJP MLA R.S. Pathania, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), described the Chief Minister’s allegation as “baseless, irresponsible, and politically motivated.”
“If Omar Abdullah has evidence, he should place it before the competent investigating agencies. If he does not, he must tender an unconditional and unqualified public apology. Otherwise, the BJP will be constrained to initiate appropriate criminal and legal proceedings against him,” Pathania said.
He questioned why neither the alleged recipient nor the Chief Minister approached the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), or any other investigating agency if an attempt to bribe an elected representative had indeed taken place.
“Who allegedly made the offer? Which BJP office-bearer was involved? Which NC legislator was approached? When and where did the alleged incident occur? If the allegation is true, why was no FIR registered?” he asked.
Pathania said allegations of attempts to purchase elected representatives strike at the very foundation of parliamentary democracy and such things cannot be reduced to political rhetoric or sensationalism without credible evidence.
He alleged that instead of addressing governance-related concerns and criticism from within the ruling party over the functioning of the government, the Chief Minister had chosen “diversionary politics” by levelling unsubstantiated allegations against the BJP.
Pathania asserted that the BJP remains committed to constitutional values and democratic accountability and would vigorously defend its reputation against what he described as “false and malicious allegations.”—(KNO)