Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday rejected allegations levelled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) regarding backdoor appointments, asserting that his government would present the facts before the public within the next couple of days.
Omar accuses PDP of hypocrisy
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti had alleged that the National Conference-led government had made 25,000 backdoor appointments in the Union Territory. Responding to the allegations while speaking to mediapersons in Srinagar, Omar said, "I am reminded of a Hindi proverb after hearing such allegations — ‘Ulta Chor Kotwal Ko Dante’ (the pot calling the kettle black)."
Referring to the PDP, Abdullah said it was during the party's tenure that the maximum number of backdoor appointments were made in J&K. "Many of those appointments were later quashed by the courts. A close relative of Mehbooba Mufti, who had also secured a backdoor appointment, was removed from the post following a court order," he alleged.
Ongoing investigations into PDP-era appointments
Continuing his attack, Abdullah claimed that hundreds of alleged backdoor appointments in the J&K Bank were also under investigation by the agencies. "If I start counting the backdoor appointments made during the PDP and BJP regimes, there will be no end to it. I challenge them to name even one person who has been appointed through the backdoor during our tenure. We have compiled all the relevant information, and our ministers will present the facts before the public within a day or two," Abdullah said.
PDP responds
Reacting to the Chief Minister's remarks, PDP leader Iltija Mufti said on X that instead of responding to what she described as "credible inputs" regarding 25,000 backdoor appointments made over the past 25 months, Abdullah had chosen to divert attention by referring to the past. "Should we take this as an admission of guilt? The cat is finally out of the bag," she posted.
