Omar speaking language of separatists: BJP

The BJP on Monday took strong exception to remarks by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the hanging of Afzal Guru, alleging that he was speaking the language of separatists and trying to provoke the people of the Valley.

BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said Abdullah's comments in the aftermath of the execution of the Parliament attack convict seek to sympathise with terrorists.

"In his venomous interviews to the media, Omar Abdullah has ended up sympathising with Afzal Guru. He describes him as a 'young man of 43', forgetting that six of the nine who were killed in the Parliament attack were younger than Afzal," he said.

Javadekar said Abdullah's remarks of "sense of alienation in the Valley" after the hanging of Guru was an insult to common Muslims.

"It is equal to bracketing common Muslims with terrorists and anti-national elements," he said.

The BJP spokesman also termed as "most objectionable" the J&K Chief Minister's statement that "the new generation in Kashmir will identify with Afzal Guru".

"The BJP strongly condemns the chief minister's statements. He is speaking the language of separatists," Javadekar said, adding that Kashmiri youth identify themselves with cricketer Pervez Rasool and IAS topper Shah Faizal.

Javadekar said Congress should clear its stand on the interviews given by Abdullah as the National Conference was "part and parcel" of the UPA.

"So, to raise the issue of discrimination or some other references, is actually nothing but provoking the situation in the Valley. At least the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir should not do this," he said.

Javadekar said such statements from a Chief Minister were "totally unacceptable" when the country was feeling "national sense of relief" after the execution of Guru.

BJP also took exception to Abdullah's "misrepresentation" of the Supreme Court verdict in the Parliament attack case claiming that it "depended on circumstantial evidence" and death sentence was awarded to "satisfy the collective conscience of the society".

"Abdullah forgets conveniently that the Supreme Court had said there was not even a shred of doubt about Afzal's complicity in hatching the conspiracy to attack Parliament and evidence showed that he had actively participated in its execution," he said.

Javadekar said the Supreme Court had concluded that "short of participating in the actual attack, he did everything to set in motion the diabolic mission."

On Sunday, Abdullah had slammed the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and said it would reinforce a sense of alienation and injustice among generation of youth in the Valley.

The chief minister had said it was a "tragedy" that Guru was not allowed to meet his family before he was hanged and not allowed a "final farewell".