Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today offered to resign from the post after a senior PDP leader made a serious allegation that he was involved in last year's sex scandal.
"I know it is a false allegation. But I want to resign till I am cleared of this false allegation. I cannot work till I am proved innocent. It is a blot on my character."
"Any amount of investigation by the home department will not not help. Till I am able to prove my innocence, I am going to give my resignation to the Governor," he told the State Assembly, a statement that shocked his party MLAs and Ministers.
The MLAs and Ministers physically restrained him from going out telling him not not to resign and that the party would not not accept it.
He was virtually forced to take his seat by the ruffled members but he got up to shout at them saying "allow me to take this first step".
The whole drama began when PDP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Beig levelled the allegation that Abduallah was involved in the infamous Srinagar sex scandal.
He claimed he had a list of people involved in the scandal in which Abdullah's name figured against no 102.
"I have to say with regret, there is the name of Omar Abdullah, son of Farooq Abdullah, in the list. He has lost the moral authority to rule the state. He must resign," Beig said claiming the scandal has been probed by the CBI.
The issue figured shortly after the Question Hour ended in the House which yesterday witnessed pandemonium after PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti wrenched a mike from the Speaker's podium and tried to remove one more, showing her protest over the issue of Shopian rape and murder case. She and other PDP MLAs were immediatley evicted.
In his immediate response, an emotional Abdullah, who came to power at the head of the National Conference-Congress coalition government this January, said "he did not not expect things to fall to such depths. Ok, you have said what you wanted to. These people have been pointing out for a long time. Under the rule of law, one is innocent until proven guilty. It's my misfortune that this false allegation has been made against me by a member of the PDP."
He said one could ignore if it was an allegation of dacoity, theft or looting but this was a serious allegation.
"The allegation made against me is false. The truth about the allegation made against me by a member of the PDP is that I will be guilty unless proven innocent.
"It is a blemish on my character. There will be no use even if you make the Home Department inquire into it. I will not not be able to work till the time I am proved innocent. I will go from here and hand over my resignation to the Governor," he said.
