SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir governor, N.N.Vohra Thursday exonerated the state chief minister, Omar Abdullah of the allegation leveled against him by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of his involvement in the infamous sex scandal.
The allegation had plunged the state into a constitutional crisis with the Tuesday’s conditional resignation by the chief minister on the issue, triggering tension and clashes in and outside the state assembly between the two arch rivals, the NC and PDP.
The acrimonious exchanges and the pandemonium had forced adjournment of the both houses of the state legislature till July 7.
In a communiqué to the state chief minister the governor who is away in New Delhi said that “he had the matter inquired into through the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.”
The governor said, “Based on the information supplied to him by the Union Home Ministry, there is no basis for Omar Abdullah seeking to resign.”
Concluding his communication the state governor had a piece of advice for young Omar Abdullah by asking him “to most vigorously devote himself to discharging responsibilities of chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. A relaxed chief minister later said that he and his honor had been expectedly vindicated.
Supporters of the ruling NC thronged the residence of the chief minister this evening and burst crackers as the governor communiqué was received by the chief minister.
Opposition PDP reacted sarcastically to the governor’s communiqué saying that the “advice of the governor Omar Abdullah to vigorously devote himself as the chief minister has brought no qualitative change in the farcical situation created by the resignation drama.”
A spokesman of the party said here this evening that “the communication had only acknowledged that Omar had never infact tendered his resignation as was sought to be made out through media.”
He said that “it was only natural that there was no mention of resignation by the governor in his letter to the chief minister.”
The spokesman said that “Raj bhavan had apparently accomplished in 48 hours what the state police, CBI and courts in and outside Kashmir had not been able to do in four years.”
This, the PDP spokesman said, had the potential of bringing the highest constitution authority of the state also into controversy.
