Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his Jammu and Kashmir counterpart, Omar Abdullah, on Sunday crossed swords on the issue of equal rights for women in J&K.
Mr. Modi dragged in the name of Mr. Abdullah’s sister Sara to suggest women did not enjoy the same rights as men in J&K. “Sara should get the same rights enjoyed by Omar Abdullah,” he said.
Ms. Sara is married to Union Minister Sachin Pilot, who hails from Rajasthan.
“If Omar married outside Kashmir, his rights as a citizen remain, whereas his sister Sara loses the right for the same because she has married outside Kashmir and her all rights have been snatched. Is this not discrimination against women in the State,” he asked.
Mr. Abdullah responded by tweeting: “He [Modi] very conveniently used me and my sister as examples to illustrate a point that has no bearing on truth… Either he lies or is ill informed.”
“And finally, women do not lose their domicile right by marrying non-State subjects regardless of the propaganda surrounding this issue,” he said.
He said Mr. Modi was either very badly informed or was very economical with the truth
