Prove allegations of horse trading, Omar to JK guv

Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah on Thursday asked state governor Satya Pal Malik to explain the latter's allegations of horse-trading of lawmakers in the state.

Addressing a press conference a day after the governor dissolved the Assembly, the National Conference (NC) leader, who had agreed to support rival Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP to form government in the state, demanded an investigation into Malik's claims.

The governor has claimed that there was horse-trading and use of money in an attempt towards forming a government in the state.

“The governor must explain his allegation that money changed hands. Justice has not been done to us. The allegation that money was used, MLAs were bought, horse-trading was done, the governor himself has written this. This he must explain to the people of the state,” he said.

While defending his decision to dissolve the Assembly, the governor had said, “Reports of extensive horse-trading and possible exchange of money in order to secure the support of legislators belonging to widely diverging political ideologies just to be able to form a government. Such activities are not healthy for democracy and vitiate the political process.”

The Assembly was abruptly dissolved by the governor on Wednesday night after the PDP staked a claim to form a government with the backing of NC and the Congress, followed by another claim from the two-member People's Conference which claimed support of 25 BJP MLAs and 18 legislators from other parties.

Omar said that although supporting the PDP was against the NC’s interests but the new alliance was being forged to protect the state’s special status.

He said that it is for the PDP to decide whether it will take a legal recourse against the governor’s decision.

“At the most I am not a party to it but we would provide moral support. Because the challenge is to be mounted, they are the ones who have to take it,” the NC leader added.

Earlier, Omar dared BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav to prove the latter's allegations that the NC and the PDP had instructions from Pakistan to form a government in the state.

“I dare you @rammadhavbjp ji to prove your allegation. 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,” Omar tweeted.

He was responding to the tweet posted by New Delhi-based news agency ANI quoting Madhav of having said that NC-PDP has fresh instructions from Pakistan to form government in the state.

In replying to Omar, Madhav tweeted: “Just take it in your stride @OmarAbdullah Not questioning your patriotism at all. But d sudden love between NC n PDP n d hurry to form government leads to many suspicions n political comments. Not to offend u (sic)."