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Narendra Modi and the father-son duo of Farooq and Omar Abdullah were today engaged in bitter sparring with the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate alleging that the biggest blow to secularism in India was delivered in Kashmir from where Kashmiri Pandits were forced out due to their religion.
Both Farooq and Omar came out all guns blazing against Modi, saying Modi's intention was to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and asserting that this will never be acceptable to the people of the state.
"Modi sahib, you do not have the courage to come to Kashmir to seek votes. You have set out to become the Prime Minister of the country but you will not come to Kashmir for seeking votes," Omar said in Srinagar.
"You will go to Jammu and Ladakh but not the Valley because the ideas you have for this place, the way you have tried to defame people, I don't think you will have any place in their hearts," Omar told reporters.
Sharply reacting to Farooq's remark that those voting for the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate should drown in sea, Modi said the biggest blow to secularism in India was delivered in Kashmir from where Kashmiri Pandits were forced out due to their religion.
Using a video message released by the CM's office to lash out at Abdullah, Modi said the Union minister has no moral right to preach against communalism as policies of his father Sheikh Abdullah, him and his son and Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar were responsible for "communalising" the state politics.
"If somebody has to drown then you should look at your (Abdullah) face in mirror. Put your father's face in front of mirror and ask this question. Those who have chased Kashmiri Pandits out have no face to preach against communalism," he said in a hard-hitting statement.
Invoking India's age-old tradition of secularism and syncretism, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, accused by critics of practicing Hindutva politics, said these high values are the best policies for India and it is his commitment to "take everybody along and develop all".
