ibn sultan
Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of hypocrisy for turning Ladakhi environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk from what he called their “poster boy” into an “anti-national” within months.
In an interview with a national media outlet, Omar Abdullah said the BJP’s shifting attitude towards Wangchuk exposes its intolerance toward dissent and selective political convenience. “Sonam Wangchuk was everywhere praising and expressing gratitude to the BJP and the Prime Minister, and suddenly he became anti-national for them,” Omar Abdullah remarked.
The Chief Minister drew a comparison between Wangchuk and activist Mehraj Malik, whose detention under the Public Safety Act he described as unjustified. “At least Mehraj Malik, whose detention under PSA is not justified, was not the poster boy of the BJP,” he said.
Omar Abdullah also dismissed speculation suggesting a covert understanding between the National Conference and the BJP during recent political developments. “There is no understanding between the BJP and NC. We stepped in, fought the Rajya Sabha elections, and fielded our candidate against the BJP in Nagrota where the Congress refused to contest,” he clarified.
Responding to People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone’s charge that NC indirectly helped the BJP, Omar Abdullah said such claims lacked credibility. “Sajad Lone’s allegations can’t be taken seriously. He abstained from voting, fully aware that it would benefit the BJP,” the Chief Minister asserted.
Reiterating the NC’s independent political stance, Omar Abdullah emphasized that administrative coordination with the central government should not be mistaken for any alliance. “There is a clear distinction between maintaining a working relationship with the Government of India and forming an alliance,” he added. (KNT)
