Bangalore: It all began with Sushma Swaraj’s statement that People’s Democratic Party’s Chief Mehbooba Mufti had praised Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a statement that lead to a war of words between the political rivals in Jammu and Kashmir. Sushma Swaraj also went on stating that a friend of Mehbooba Mufti had asked for a favour from Narendra Modi which was granted immediately.
The PDP boss was quick in responding to sushma Swaraj’s claim and termed it baseless and untrue and said she has not met the BJP’s top lady in years. She also refuted that she has not introduced any friend to Modi and demanded her National Integration Council speech be made public.
Mehbooba clarification was began a war of words on the microblogging website Twitter on which Shushma Swaraj, Leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha wrote, “I correctly quoted Ms.Mehbooba Mufti in Ahmedabad yesterday. It was not a private conversation. I only quoted what she spoke in the presence of over a hundred people in the afternoon session of the NIC meeting on 10th September.”
Smelling the political opportunity, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted, “I’m not surprised Mehbooba praised Modi, she can praise who ever she likes; I am surprised she’d deny it knowing others heard her speech.”
Adding fuel to the burning issue, he went on to tweet, “Why can’t she just admit what she said rather than deny the whole thing. So much more graceful to accept rather than call Ms Swaraj a liar.”
Provoked by the tweets of her arch rival, she said, “As far as Omar’s tweet goes, he should recall that he was a minister at one point of time and he did not offer to resign in protest and his father was the only Muslim leader who stood by Narendra Modi at that time.” She was recalling the days of Gujarat riots when Omar Abdullah’s National Conference party was a part of the BJP-led NDA.
The J&K CM again took the social media to replay and tweeted, “Have never denied being a part of the NDA Ms Mufti but I’ve also said it was a mistake I regret & will never repeat nor let my party repeat. At least I’ve had the guts to admit our mistake, why don’t you have the guts to admit what everyone heard you say – your praise for Modi.”
His next tweet said, “Lest I forget Ms. Mufti – the record in Parliament will show how I voted on the resolution about Gujarat riots even though I was a minister.”
However, the microblogging site has become an avenue of political debates of late. The tweeter world is waiting to see where this debate is heading to and what political connotations it will unfold.
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