JD(U) differs with ally BJP on Omar’s Afzal tweet

The BJP had termed Abdullah's comments on Twitter as unfortunate.

The JD(U) on Thursday took a dig at its NDA ally BJP for raising objections over Omar Abdullah’s remarks on the issue of execution of Afzal Guru,asking why it had not raised eyebrows when the matter relating to Rajiv Gandhi’s killers had come up.

What Omar Abdullah is saying is correct. What is wrong in saying that there would have been an uproar if resolution had been passed on amnesty to Afzal Guru by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly? JD(U) spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari said.

Abdullah had tweeted that if Jammu and Kashmir Assembly had passed a resolution against the death sentence given to Guru as was done by the Tamil Nadu Assembly for the killers of Rajiv Gandhi,the reaction would not have been as muted as it is now.

The BJP had termed Abdullah’s comments on Twitter as unfortunate and said a Hurriyat leader making such statements is understandable but not from a responsible chief minister. The party also said that those who have been given a death sentence by the highest court and whose clemency petition has been rejected by the president should be hanged.

Tiwari’s comments would come as an embarrassment for BJP as the two are long-term allies.

If BJP had any objection they should have raised this issue earlier when the Tamil Nadu Assembly had passed the resolution on amnesty to Rajiv Gandhi’s killers. Or when the Shiromani Akali Dal (another NDA ally) was opposing the death sentence to Devinder Singh Bhullar, Tiwari said.

The JD(U) spokesperson said BJP’s statement shows bias.

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Bhullar’s amnesty was also rejected by the president. He is on death row for plotting the attempt on the life of Punjab SSP Sumedh Singh Saini in 1991 and then Youth Congress worker M S Bitta in 1993. Several people were killed in the two attacks.