Give proof or apologise: BJP’s Rs 100-cr defamation threat to Omar over MLA poaching claim

4 min readJul 13, 2026 09:00 PM IST

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah addresses a public rally demanding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in Jammu, India, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday shot a legal notice to J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, demanding that he either provide evidence to substantiate his allegations of “poaching” against the BJP or issue a public apology.

Addressing party workers, the Chief Minister had said on Saturday that the BJP was attempting to engineer defections within the ruling National Conference and had offered between Rs 20 crore and Rs 30 crore to a Jammu MLA through a lawyer affiliated with the national party.

The BJP has said if Omar fails to provide evidence to support his allegations or does not apologise, it will initiate a Rs 100-crore defamation suit against him for his remarks.

Terming the allegations baseless, the notice from BJP’s state unit chief, Sat Paul Sharma, seeks an apology from the CM within seven days and a “cease and desist” order to prevent the repetition of the “poaching” claims.

Reacting to the BJP’s statement, Omar said on Monday, “I have not been issued any summons; I have received an electronic copy of a letter from a lawyer.”

Terming the notice from the BJP an “honour”, he said: ”I am the only politician in J&K who has been bestowed with a love letter like this from the BJP. I consider it a mark of respect that I am obviously a political force that they cannot ignore.”

Regarding the defamation threat, he said the move is symbolic of how the BJP fights. “They take political fights and hide behind the courts.” He said he could’ve made the same statement in the Assembly and taken advantage of the privilege that he is afforded.

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Omar also said that for the past few months there have been many slanderous accusations against the NC and its leadership by senior BJP leaders in J&K. “Particularly one leader who has time and again levelled unfounded and slanderous allegations against us, whom we have been fighting politically. Going on from now, we will begin the process of sending legal notices to that particular BJP leader and a few others…”

On Saturday, Omar had lashed out at the BJP government at the Centre, adopting an increasingly confrontational tone. “They are designated to the back seats, and that’s where they will remain,” he said.

The remarks come ahead of the NC’s statehood protests in Delhi on July 20. The party has invited several national leaders for the statehood protest, including Congress’s Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, TMC president Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay, and others. He has also extended invitations to PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

On the July 20 protest plan, the CM said, “We have been told that the police in Delhi is obliged to give permission five days ahead. Usually not less than five days. So sometime by Wednesday morning we should hear from Delhi Police.”

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On Sunday, Omar addressed party workers in Jammu, stating that the protest at Jantar Mantar to mount pressure on the Centre to restore statehood would mark the beginning of a “new method” since “enough time was given to the Central government to fulfil its promise”.

“Now, we will start resorting to ‘a new method’ for it from July 20 onwards when we raise slogans for restoration of statehood at our dharna in Delhi,” Omar told the gathering at Maharaja Hari Singh Park in Jammu city, his first major public meeting in the BJP stronghold.

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Naveed Iqbal is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, and reports from Jammu and Kashmir. With a career spanning over 15 years in frontline journalism, Naveed provides authoritative reporting on the region’s transition, governance, and the socio-political implications of national policies.

Expertise

Regional Specialization: Based in the Srinagar and New Delhi bureaus, Naveed has spent over a decade documenting the unique challenges of Jammu and Kashmir. Her reporting is distinguished by deep contextual knowledge of the region's post-Article 370, statehood debates, and local electoral politics.

Key Coverage Beats: Her extensive body of work covers:

Politics & Governance: Tracking the National Conference (NC), PDP, and BJP dynamics, including in-depth coverage of J&K’s first Assembly sessions and Rajya Sabha polls following the reorganization of the state.

Internal Security & Justice: Providing rigorous reporting on counter-insurgency operations, terror module investigations, and judicial developments involving political detainees and constitutional rights.

Education & Minority Affairs: Highlighting systemic issues such as quota rows in J&K, public service commission reforms, and the challenges faced by minority communities. ... Read More

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Bharatiya Janata Party

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah