Briefly came across Omar, Farooq at Tulip Garden: Rijiju seeks to clarify meeting

Srinagar : Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju Wednesday sought to clarify the controversy surrounding his meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his father Farooq Abdullah at Tulip Garden, saying the interaction was just a coincidence.”A beautiful morning walk became a political discussion, echoed even in J&K Assembly too! I briefly came across CM, Omar Abdullah sahab and Farooq Abdullah sahab at the Tulip Garden on early morning visit to avoid inconvenience for the visitors & tourists at daytime.

“We exchanged pleasantries! Let’s enjoy the beauty of Kashmir beyond politics!” Rijiju posted on his X handle.The opposition parties in the Union Territory lambasted the Abdullahs over their chance meeting with Rijiju, saying the ruling National Conference had rolled out the red carpet for the “architect of anti-Muslim amendments” to the Waqf (Amendment) Act.Rijiju had moved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in both Houses of Parliament in the recently concluded Budget Session.

The issue reverberated in J-K Legislative Assembly on Tuesday when PDP MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para, while demanding a resolution against the Waqf law, questioned the absence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from the House for the second day.Para said, “He (Omar) should have been here because this issue concerns Muslim properties like mosques, shrines and graveyards… He is giving a red carpet welcome to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in the Tulip Garden.The fact is the National Conference is supporting the BJP. The Bill has caused resentment among the 24 crore Muslim population but they are normalising the Act by their actions. They do not want a resolution against the Act.”

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday, while urging the J-K Assembly to pass a resolution rejecting the amendments to the Waqf Act passed by Parliament, also referred to the chance meeting between Omar Abdullah and Rijiju at the Tulip Garden here the other day, saying the meeting seemed to be a signal to the 24 crore Muslims of the country..The ruling National Conference (NC) rubbished the charges, saying the opposition was “fishing in the desert”.

“After bulldozing the Waqf Amendment Bill through Parliament, Minister Kiran Rijiju strategically chose to visit Kashmir. He was given a red carpet welcome by the Chief Minister of India’s only Muslim-majority state — a move that seemed designed and deliberate to signal to the 24 crore Muslims across India that their views hold little weight when the leader of the country’s only Muslim-majority region stands in support,” Mehbooba said.

“The visit set against the backdrop of Asia’s largest tulip garden felt like a public celebration of the community’s marginalisation and disempowerment,” she added.The PDP president said Abdullah’s actions only deepened the sense of alienation and helplessness within the Muslim community.”The chief minister’s actions not only deepened the sense of alienation and helplessness within the Muslim community but also lent legitimacy to this unilateral decision widely perceived as dismissive of their interests,” she said.