New Delhi, July 12, 2026 : A political war of words erupted on Sunday after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly rejected Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s allegation that the party was attempting to engineer defections within the ruling National Conference (NC) by offering huge sums of money to its legislators.
The BJP dismissed the accusations as “baseless, speculative and irresponsible,” asserting that it remains committed to democratic principles and does not engage in attempts to destabilize elected governments.
The controversy began on Saturday when Omar Abdullah, while addressing a workers’ convention at the mausoleum of his grandparents at Hazratbal in Srinagar on the 26th death anniversary of his grandmother Akbar Jehan, alleged that BJP leaders had offered National Conference MLAs between ₹20 crore and ₹30 crore to switch allegiance in an attempt to bring down his government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Responding sharply to the allegation, BJP National Spokesperson and Member of Parliament Sambit Patra questioned Abdullah’s confidence in his own party leaders.
“I find it astonishing when any leader claims that members of his own party can be bought for ₹20 crore or ₹30 crore. Does he not trust his own MLAs? Such statements raise serious questions about the leadership and internal confidence within his own party,” Patra said.
Drawing a parallel with a past parliamentary debate, Patra recalled former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj’s remarks questioning whether elected representatives were “up for sale,” suggesting that Omar Abdullah should reflect on why he believes his legislators are susceptible to such offers.
Patra further maintained that the BJP has always respected the democratic mandate and does not believe in any action that undermines democratic institutions or constitutional governance.
Earlier, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and National Spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also dismissed the allegations as “extremely irresponsible and completely baseless.”
He challenged the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister to either produce credible evidence supporting his claims or publicly apologise for making what he described as unfounded accusations against the BJP.
Joining the attack, Jammu and Kashmir BJP spokesperson and MLA R.S. Pathania warned that the party could initiate legal action if Abdullah failed to substantiate his allegations.
“If the Chief Minister cannot provide evidence, the BJP will consider filing a defamation case against him for making misleading and unsubstantiated allegations intended to create confusion among the people,” Pathania said.
He further demanded that Abdullah publicly identify the National Conference legislators who were allegedly approached, name the BJP leaders purportedly involved, and disclose when and where the alleged offers were made.
“If such a serious incident actually took place, why was it not immediately reported to the investigating agencies? An elected Chief Minister cannot make allegations of this magnitude without placing evidence before the appropriate authorities,” Pathania added.
Sudhanshu Trivedi also accused the National Conference government of attempting to divert public attention from what he termed its “incompetence, inaction and misgovernance” in Jammu and Kashmir by making sensational political allegations.
Echoing the criticism, Pathania claimed that although the National Conference had received a five-year mandate from the people, the government had been exposed within its first year for allegedly failing to fulfil its election promises.
The exchange has intensified political tensions in Jammu and Kashmir, with the National Conference maintaining its allegations while the BJP continues to demand concrete proof and accountability for the claims made by the Chief Minister.
