Jammu, March 18 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir’s “media-friendly” Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Monday refused to talk to the media here, saying “you should talk to those who speak to you outside” the assembly, after the opposition PDP boycotted the budget session.
The Peoples Democratic Party has been boycotting the ongoing budget session to press its demand for the return of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s body. Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had rejected the demand to hand over Guru’s body to his family.
The PDP leaders have been giving statements on this and other issues to the media outside the house.
The state assembly’s budget session began Feb 28. The PDP has been boycotting the house since March 13. The session concludes April 5.
Omar Abdullah, famous for giving sound bytes and often hard hitting responses to the media, has of late distanced himself from the media here.
Media persons were keen to have his reaction on many issues, including the PDP boycott of the budget session and on the chief minister suffixing the word “sahib” (respectable person) with Guru.
But Omar Abdullah tersely said, “Talk to those who talk to you outside the house,” and walked away with this one-liner.
PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Sunday said: “The assembly has been turned into a mock house with the government instead of getting worried by opposition boycott feeling relieved at what it considers as a good riddance.” He maintained that this attitude could have disastrous implications for the state.
