The legal action stems from Abdullah’s remarks at an NC convention in Srinagar on Saturday.

Srinagar: The BJP on Monday served a Rs 100-crore defamation notice on Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, demanding an unconditional public apology within seven days for alleging that the party tried to lure National Conference (NC) legislators with cash, ministerial berths and a promise of restoring statehood.

The notice, issued on behalf of J&K BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma, warns of civil and criminal defamation proceedings, including a Rs 100-crore damages suit, if Abdullah fails to withdraw the allegations. The legal action stems from Jammu with offers of Rs 20-30 crore, a ministerial berth and restoration of J&K’s statehood in return for switching sides.
He also claimed that a senior BJP leader, who practises in the Supreme Court, was involved in making the alleged offers.

Calling the allegations “false, baseless and defamatory”, the BJP said Abdullah’s remarks had been widely circulated across print, electronic and social media, causing serious harm to the party’s reputation. It demanded withdrawal of the statements and an unconditional apology. The confrontation comes as the NC steps up its campaign for restoration of statehood, its principal political plank since the erstwhile state’s special status was revoked and it was bifurcated into two Union Territories in August 2019.

At the same convention, Abdullah announced a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, pressing the Centre to fulfil its commitment to restore statehood. The row also mirrors a broader national political contest over alleged attempts to to engineer defections. Opposition parties in several states, over the years, accused the BJP of trying to topple elected governments by inducing legislators. The BJP has consistently denied such allegations, maintaining that political realignments are driven by internal divisions within rival parties and not by inducements.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/jammu-and-kashmir/bjp-serves-rs-100-crore-defamation-notice-on-omar-abdullah-over-mla-poaching-claim-seeks-evidence-4071775