Political opponents not enemies: Omar Abdullah on meeting BJP leader

Political opponents are not enemies and politics is not about division and hatred, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah said on Friday (September 16).

His remarks were in response to a video posted on Twitter wherein a netizen
hinted at some backdoor understanding between the National Conference (NC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In the video, Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina describes Abdullah as a “gem” among top political leaders in the Union territory.

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“As I became a member of the assembly when Omar was also there, we saw that as an individual, as a person, Omar Abdullah is a gem among the top political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir… so we are friends as well,” Raina said.

He added that Abdullah was also the first person to call him when he was suffering from coronavirus.

Fresh from the President of Jammu and Kashmir @BJP4India Ravinder Raina. Bahut yaarana lagta hai! pic.twitter.com/3RnTnt5IaL

— Ahmed Ali Fayyaz (@ahmedalifayyaz) September 15, 2022

Responding to the tweet, the NC leader said politicians do not have to hate each other personally while disagreeing politically.

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“Why is politics all about division & hatred? Where does it say that to disagree politically we also have to hate each other personally? I have political opponents, I do not have enemies,” he said in a series of tweets.

“I am grateful for Ravinder’s kind words and I am glad they wont stop us from opposing each other,” he added.

Why is politics all about division & hatred? Where does it say that to disagree politically we also have to hate each other personally? I have political opponents, I don’t have enemies. I’m grateful for Ravinder’s kind words & I’m glad they won’t stop us opposing each other 😀 https://t.co/vJE4rSIRhR

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) September 16, 2022

(With inputs from agencies)