"Don't spread lies" - Omar Abdullah fires back at PDP

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah hit back at PDP leader Iltija Mufti over alleged distortion of facts.

Omar Abdullah on Friday clarified that no decision has been taken to drop Urdu from the list of mandatory languages in revenue records, asserting that the government has merely sought public feedback and accused political opponents of spreading misinformation.

Speaking to reporters on sidelines of the integration of two new blocks of estate department in Pampore Chief Minister Omar said, “There is no droppage of Urdu. God save us from such people who cannot differentiate between truth and falsehood. Unfortunately, this group and its leadership see nothing beyond lies.”

He said the government had asked critics to show any official order where Urdu had been removed. “They only showed the order where we invited public comments. If one cannot understand the difference between seeking feedback and dropping a subject, then it is unfortunate,” he added.

Referring to PDP leader Iltija Mufti’s protest, Omar Abdullah said, “She is educated, but perhaps she still needs to understand the difference between asking for public comments and actually dropping a subject. The file regarding any such proposal is still on my table. I have not approved it, nor do I intend to.”

He further stated that while a proposal may have come from the department, it has not been cleared. “As an elected government, it is our responsibility to seek public feedback. The order issued was only for that purpose. Those who have nothing constructive to offer are trying to push their politics based on falsehood,” he said.

Responding to a question on RTI-related claims, the Chief Minister alleged that the PDP was attempting to divert attention. “They supported the BJP earlier, and now they are trying to mislead people by raising such issues and focusing only on Urdu,” he added.

Earlier People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of trying to remove the Urdu language from the collective history of Jammu and Kashmir.

“There is no doubt that our government, headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, is trying to gradually remove Urdu, which is the language of every section of society and community in J-K, from the system,” she said.

She alleged that as the head of the Revenue Department, Abdullah issued an order that the digitisation of revenue documents would take place in the English language only.

She also said that under Abdullah’s government, the requirement of knowledge of Urdu, which used to be essential for recruitment into the Revenue Department, was done away with.

On Tuesday, Iltija Mufti led a protest of her party against the Jammu and Kashmir government for removing Urdu as a mandatory language in the revenue records.

An FIR was registered against People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti over a social media post.