BJP Serves Rs 100 Crore Defamation Notice on Omar Abdullah Over ‘MLA Poaching’ Allegations

Jammu, July 13: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jammu and Kashmir unit on Monday served a legal notice on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, demanding a written retraction and an unconditional public apology within seven days over his allegations that the party attempted to bribe National Conference (NC) legislators to topple his government. The BJP warned that failure to comply would lead to civil and criminal proceedings, including a defamation suit seeking Rs 100 crore in damages.

The notice, issued through advocate Parimoksh Seth on the instructions of J&K BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Paul Sharma, describes Abdullah’s allegations as “false, baseless and defamatory” and claims they have caused serious damage to the party’s reputation and public standing.

Addressing NC workers at Hazratbal last week, Abdullah alleged that the BJP was attempting to engineer defections in the National Conference. He claimed that an NC MLA from the Jammu region informed him that he had been offered Rs 20-30 crore, a ministerial berth and restoration of statehood in exchange for switching allegiance to the BJP.

According to the three-page legal notice, the Chief Minister also alleged that a senior BJP office-bearer, who is a practising Supreme Court lawyer, was involved in conveying the alleged inducements to NC legislators.

Rejecting the accusations, the BJP said the allegations were “entirely untrue, malicious and without any factual basis” and were deliberately made to tarnish the party’s image. It maintained that the statements had been widely circulated, resulting in substantial reputational harm.

The notice asserts that Abdullah’s remarks constitute defamation under both civil and criminal law. It calls upon the Chief Minister to withdraw the allegations in writing, issue an unconditional public apology within seven days, refrain from making or circulating similar statements in future, and immediately cease repeating the claims.

A BJP spokesperson confirmed that the legal notice has been served on the Chief Minister. The party warned that if its demands are not met within the stipulated period, it will initiate appropriate legal proceedings before a competent court, including a Rs 100 crore defamation suit, besides pursuing all other remedies available under law. (Agencies)