BJP offered my party MLA Rs 20-30 crore: Omar Abdullah's 'Operation Lotus' charge
Is "Operation Lotus" brewing in Jammu and Kashmir? That is the million-dollar question after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah alleged that the BJP had attempted to
Is "Operation Lotus" brewing in Jammu and Kashmir? That is the million-dollar question after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah alleged that the BJP had attempted to lure Conference MLAs to bring down his government. Addressing a rally in Srinagar on Saturday, Abdullah claimed that a BJP leader and a Supreme Court advocate had approached one of his MLAs, allegedly offering him Rs 20-30 crore, a ministerial berth and restoration of statehood in exchange for switching sides. Read Full Story "They offered him Rs 20-30 crore, a ministerial position and restoration of statehood. But they failed to purchase even one of our MLAs," Abdullah said. He also expressed confidence that the BJP would not succeed even if it offered Rs 100 crore to each of his party's legislators.
For now, Abdullah continues to enjoy a comfortable majority in the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. The majority mark is 46. The Conference has 41 MLAs, while six Congress legislators provide outside support. Five Independents and one CPM MLA are also backing the Abdullah government. SLAMS CENTRE OVER STATEHOOD DELAY Meanwhile, Abdullah attacked the BJP-led Centre and asked it not to mistake his patience for weakness on the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, and demanded clarity on what it meant by the "appropriate time" for taking that step. The Chief Minister added that patience did not mean silence, and warned against taking undue advantage of it. "I ask them, for God's sake, how will we know that the appropriate time has come.
What do my colleagues and I have to do to reach that appropriate time?" he said. Abdullah said he had initially given the Centre time to fulfil its promises after his government was formed, but alleged that the reality was that "they want to maintain the status quo." ABDULLAH SEEKS SUPPORT FOR JULY 20 PROTEST Abdullah also appealed to political parties to join the July 20 protest in New Delhi over the demand for restoration of statehood, dismissing criticism that the issue had not been discussed with other groups. He said the demand for statehood was not limited to the Conference or his family, but concerned the entire population of Jammu and Kashmir. "Do only me and Farooq Abdullah sahib have to live in the state, and the rest will remain in the UT?
The issue of statehood is not only ours but also of the whole J-K," Abdullah said. He claimed that invitations had been extended to all parties with representation in the current assembly or those who had MLAs in the past, including leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Altaf Bukhari and Hakeem Yaseen. Urging parties to set aside political differences, Abdullah warned that staying away from the protest due to pressure or fear would be an injustice to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Ends
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