SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday linked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s act of touching a Muslim woman’s hijab to a past controversy involving Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, calling both incidents a reflection of a regressive mindset and terming the latest episode “shameful”.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Abdullah said such incidents were not isolated and recalled a previous episode during an election when, he alleged, a woman voter’s burqa was removed inside a polling station. “We have seen such incidents before. During my election, people may have forgotten how Mehbooba Mufti got a legitimate voter’s burqa removed inside a polling station. This is a continuation of the same mindset. What happened then was unfortunate, and this incident is equally shameful,” he said.
Abdullah said humiliating a woman in public could not be justified under any circumstances. Referring to the Nitish Kumar incident, he said if the Bihar Chief Minister did not wish to personally hand over an appointment letter, he could have stepped aside instead of subjecting a woman to public embarrassment.
“Slowly, the reality of Nitish Kumar, who was once seen as a secular and sensible leader, is coming out,” he added.
The Chief Minister also responded to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s remarks on fiscal discipline, saying Jammu and Kashmir continues to function under financial constraints inherited after its reorganisation.
Abdullah said the Union Territory remains dependent on the Government of India and is no longer entitled to a share of central taxes as it was when it had statehood, placing additional pressure on its finances.
Defending his government’s record, he said there had been no financial negligence over the past 15 to 16 months despite constraints. “If anyone can point to a single case of public money being misused, I am ready to be held accountable,” he said.
