Omar counters remarks on his sister: Modi is ill informed or lying

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah hit back at Narendra Modi on Sunday for his comment that women in the state did not enjoy equal rights, saying he is either ill informed or lying.

"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," Omar tweeted after the Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate's rally in Jammu on Sunday. "And finally women do not lose their domicile right by marrying non-state subjects regardless of the propaganda surrounding this issue," he said on Twitter.

He wondered if Modi was actually aware of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir. "I challenge him or any of his minions to reproduce verbatim the section of Art 370 that determines the J&K state subject law," Omar said.

Earlier, Modi had said that women did not have the same rights as men in J&K and had cited example of Omar's and his sister Sara's marriage outside the state.

Omar also said that Modi was either very badly informed or very economical with the truth. "I'm not sure which one is worse though," he said.

He also rubbished the statement of Modi that the state had not been receiving tourists. "And no Mr Modi tourism isn't suffering and our tourists are not going to Himachal Pradesh. It's the reverse now but why should the facts bother you. 1.4 million tourists last year and we have crossed one million tourists this year in to the Valley alone. Mr Modi needs pre-speech fact check," Omar said.

The J&K CM also posted an aerial shot of the venue to puncture the claims of the BJP that 45,000 people attended the rally. "I put the photograph because it's a small stadium with lots of open space visible. Estimates range from 25,000 to 45,000. You decide?"

On Saturday, Omar after reviewing the security arrangements for Modi's rally, tweeted that he was "curious" to see the turnout. "Reviewed security plans for tomorrow's BJP rally in Jammu. Curious to see what the turnout will be. Have heard estimates from 25 to 80,000.

"The fact that the stage has been moved from the edge of the stadium closer to the middle may be an indication but let's see," he wrote on Twitter.