Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah defended his National Conference MLAs’ protests in the legislative assembly against the Waqf Amendment Act, asserting the law has deeply offended the majority of the Union Territory’s population. He criticized the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Peoples Conference for questioning his meeting with Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, accusing them of past alliances with the BJP that he claims “destroyed” Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Waqf Amendment Act has hurt the sentiments of the Muslim majority in J&K. Our MLAs wanted to express this in the assembly, but were denied the opportunity,” Abdullah stated to reporters outside the Assembly, which was adjourned after three days of protests. He pledged further action on the Waqf issue.
Abdullah addressed opposition criticism regarding his meeting with Union Minister Kiren Rijiju at the Tulip Garden in Srinagar. He countered by accusing the PDP and Peoples Conference of hypocrisy, citing their past collaborations with the BJP. “Those who ‘sat in the lap’ of the BJP and ‘destroyed’ J-K are now criticizing me,” he said. He specifically referenced former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s controversial 2016 statement regarding youth casualties during unrest.
“They are yet to apologize for the 2016 killings. They should examine their own actions and their relationship with the BJP before pointing fingers at me,” Abdullah added. He clarified that his meeting with Rijiju was coincidental, occurring while he was at the Tulip Garden with his father. “It was a simple hello-hi, and a photo request. Should I have refused?” he asked. He accused the opposition of exploiting the photo opportunity for political gain.
