The National Conference on Saturday cited Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah’s “decency” to assert that he refrained from entering the main sanctum of the Hazratbal shrine last week even though his party workers were keen to do so.
The ruling party has been left red-faced after The Telegraph, in a September 1 report, said Omar and other NC leaders were denied access to the sanctum by BJP leader and waqf board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi. The newspaper stands by the report that Andrabi had cited renovation of the shrine to deny access.
The Hazratbal shrine was rocked by another controversy after a mob of devotees on Friday vandalised the national emblem engraved on the inauguration plaque inside the shrine, equating it with the installation of an idol.
Addressing a media conference on Saturday, the NC legislators demanded an unconditional apology from Andrabi and sought her immediate dismissal over the alleged misuse of the national emblem at the Hazratbal shrine. Andrabi has asked the police to book the vandals under the Public Safety Act.
During the news conference, the legislators were asked to explain why they were not allowed to enter the shrine last week. “The CM, you will have to accept, is a very reasonable man. We told him that we would go inside. He insisted that work is going on. He is a very decent man,” NC legislator Salman Sagar said.
This newspaper had reported that Omar had to content himself with merely peering through the glass to get a glimpse of the “under-construction” sanctum after facing hurdles from the waqf chief.
NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar denied The Telegraph report. “No one can stop him (Omar) from entering the Sanctum Sanctorum of Dargah Hazratbal. I request the reputable @ttindia to ascertain facts before putting the questionable version out in public domain and don’t fall to BJP propaganda,” Dar wrote.
The NC legislators on Saturday said they had decided to write to the Assembly Speaker, seeking the constitution of a House committee to probe alleged irregularities in the waqf board since 2019.
