The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly criticized National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah for justifying Jawaharlal Nehru’s decision to imprison his father, Sheikh Abdullah. BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh accused Abdullah of engaging in political opportunism, alleging that he was willing to distance himself from his father for the sake of power.
Chugh asserted, “Farooq Abdullah’s pursuit of power led him to disown his own father in a display of pure political opportunism.” He expressed his disapproval of Abdullah’s actions, emphasizing that it was a disgrace for a politician to rationalize his father’s arrest.
In response to Abdullah’s statement that he never criticized Nehru for imprisoning his father for 13 years, Chugh labeled the politician as “power-hungry.” He cautioned the people of Jammu and Kashmir against those engaged in political double-dealing for personal gains.
BJP spokesperson Girdhari Lal Raina accused Abdullah of sycophancy and drew parallels with the Congress party’s approach. Raina stated, “The National Conference, like its alliance partner Congress, seems to be afflicted by the Indira (Gandhi) is India syndrome, displaying sycophancy on one side and arrogance of entitlement on the other.”
Raina expressed amazement at Abdullah’s attempt to equate Jammu and Kashmir with the National Conference and criticized it as laughable. He suggested that Abdullah’s statement reflected a sense of entitlement rather than any merit.
Farooq Abdullah has been a staunch defender of Nehru’s legacy, which has come under scrutiny from the BJP. The BJP has blamed Nehru for the issues in Jammu and Kashmir. Last year, Abdullah disputed these claims, stating that Nehru was not responsible for the introduction of Article 370 in the region. He pointed out that Sardar Patel was present during the decision-making process, and Nehru was in America at the time.
