Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah dismissed the BJP's Rs 100-crore defamation notice over his allegations of attempts to poach National Conference MLAs, describing it as a "love letter" from the saffron party and saying he felt "honoured" to receive it.
The Chief Minister's remarks came within minutes of the BJP announcing that it had served him with a legal notice over what it termed "false, baseless and defamatory" allegations regarding alleged attempts to lure National Conference legislators.
Responding to the notice, which seeks either proof of his allegations or an unconditional public apology within seven days, Abdullah took a swipe at the BJP, saying the notice reflected the party's inability to ignore him politically.
"I have received a letter from a lawyer, an electronic copy. I consider this a great honour, as I am the only politician in Jammu and Kashmir to have been bestowed with a love letter like this by the BJP. I consider it a mark of respect that I am obviously a political force in Jammu and Kashmir that they cannot ignore," Abdullah told reporters.
The chief minister said he had expected the BJP to counter his allegations politically rather than resorting to legal action.
"One leader, in particular, has repeatedly levelled unfounded and slanderous allegations against us, but we have been fighting him politically. From now on, we will begin the process of sending legal notices to that particular BJP leader and a few others, and let's see where this process ends," he said.
Taking a dig at the saffron party, Omar Abdullah said this was the BJP's way of fighting its political opponents.
"They take political fights and hide behind the courts. I could have made the same statement and hidden behind the Assembly. I could have taken advantage of the privileges available to me by making these statements in the Assembly, where they could not have been challenged outside the House, but I did not," Omar said.
Earlier in the day, the BJP formally served a legal notice on Abdullah through Advocate Parimoksh Seth of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on behalf of Jammu and Kashmir BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Paul Sharma.
The notice demands that Abdullah withdraw his allegations in writing and issue an unconditional public apology within seven days.
According to the notice, Abdullah had alleged that a BJP office-bearer approached National Conference MLAs from the Jammu region with offers ranging from Rs 20 crore to Rs 30 crore, along with promises of ministerial berths and the restoration of statehood, to induce them to switch sides.
The chief minister had also alleged that a senior BJP functionary, who is a practising lawyer in the Supreme Court, had offered bribes to National Conference legislators.
Rejecting the allegations, the BJP said the statements, which were widely reported across print, electronic and social media platforms, were "entirely untrue, malicious and without any factual basis".
"The statement issued by you has seriously harmed my client's reputation, dignity and standing in society and has caused immense damage to my client's public image," the legal notice stated.
The notice further said Abdullah's statements amounted to defamation and were actionable under both civil and criminal law. It warned that failure to comply with its demands would compel the BJP to initiate appropriate legal proceedings, including a civil defamation suit seeking damages of Rs 100 crore, besides criminal action.
The BJP also called upon the chief minister to immediately "cease and desist from making or repeating any false or defamatory statements" against the party and refrain from publishing any further defamatory material.
Highlighting its stature, the BJP stated in the notice that it is the "largest political party in the world", with more than 14 crore registered members, and is working towards making India a global power under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
