BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on Thursday retracted his comments after National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah challenged him to prove his allegation that his party’s coming together with Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was prompted by a missive from Pakistan.
Though Madhav withdrew the Pakistani sting in his comments, he insisted that the two parties should prove their “genuine love”.
The war of words erupted a day after Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the Assembly, affectively blocking an new alliance attempting to form a Government in the volatile and sensitive border State.
Abdullah’s riposte followed Madhav’s acidic comment on the twitter alleging that “fresh instructions” were given to the two regional parties from across the border to come together and form a Government.
Madhav, the point man of the BJP in J&K, asked Abdullah to fight the next polls with the PDP if “genuine love” between the two promoted a “failed Government” formation attempt.
On Wednesday, BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister from Jammu Kavinder Gupta had also leveled similar charges and said the decision to prop up the proposed PDP-NC-Congress alliance Government was taken in Dubai.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti had on Wednesday written to the Governor that she will stake claim to form Government with the support of the Congress and the NC. It was followed by another bid from the two-member People’s Conference which claimed the support of the BJP and 18 legislators from other parties.
As Malik dissolved the Assembly, Madhav alleged that the NC and the PDP had boycotted local body polls in the State earlier because of instructions from Pakistan.
Abdullah took to Twitter to hit out at the BJP leader and sought him to present evidence to prove his charge.
“You have RAW, NIA & IB at your command (CBI too is your parrot) so have the guts to place evidence in the public domain. Either prove this or be man enough to apologise. Don’t practice shoot & scoot politics,” said the former CM.
Madhav responded, “Just take it in your stride Omar Abdullah. Not questioning your patriotism at all. But the sudden love between NC and PDP and the hurry to form Government leads to many suspicions and political comments. Not to offend you.”
Abdullah seemed far from being amused by the BJP leader’s Rs sense of humour’.
“No, misplaced attempts at humour won’t work. You have claimed my party has been acting at the behest of Pakistan. I dare you to prove it! Place the evidence of your allegation of NC boycott of ULB polls at Pak behest in public domain,” he tweeted.
Madhav then responded with a tweet which appeared to be aimed at defusing the tensions.
“Now that you deny any external pressure I take back my comment, but now that you proved it was genuine love between NC and PDP that prompted a failed Government formation attempt, you should fight next elections together. Mind you it’s political comment and not personal,” he said, adding a laughing emoji.
Addressing a Press conference in Srinagar, the NC leader repeated his demand for an apology from Madhav.
“You cannot undermine the sacrifices made by National Conference workers in protecting the sovereignty of this country. He must apologise,” he said.