Omar hits back at Advani, asks him to explain his silence over Article 370

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday hit back at senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani, after the latter criticised him in his blog over Article 370.

The Chief Minister has tweeted asking why Advani did not repeal Article 370 in Kashmir when the BJP was in power. "Instead of advising me to show restraint Advani Ji should devote some blog space to explain his silence over Article 370 between 1998-2004.

"Perhaps he can also blog about what constitutional mechanism he plans to follow to repeal Article 370. I might learn something from his wisdom," he said on the microblogging site Twitter.

In a post, titled 'Omar, Do Restrain Yourself', Advani said that although Omar has the right to disagree with the BJP over the revocation of Article 370, it was improper to use offensive words like 'cheating' in the context of the party's stand on the state. Advani also reminded Omar that the Jana Sangh, the BJP's predecessor, had not even been born when Article 370 was sought to be approved in the Constituent Assembly.

BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani had slammed Omar Abdullah for criticising his opposition to special status for Jammu and Kashmir. In an earlier blogpost on June 23, Advani had pushed for repealing Article 370, saying it would help Jammu and Kashmir's full integration with India'. Abdullah had called this a poll ploy.

Speaking after the flagging-off ceremony of Banihal-Qazigund rail link at Banihal on Wednesday, Omar had warned BJP that any dilution to Constitutional guarantee under Article 370 would be possible "only over our dead bodies because we would not allow you to weaken this relationship."

(With additional information from PTI)