J-K CM Omar Abdullah expresses regret over Assembly remarks, agrees to expunge words

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday expressed regret over remarks made during the Assembly proceedings, saying statements were made in the heat of the moment and that he had no objection if they are expunged from the record.

"I leave it to the Speaker. If any unparliamentary words were used by me in my speech yesterday, they may be removed from the record. I have no objection," Abdullah said.

The Assembly witnessed noisy scenes for the second consecutive day as BJP members demanded an apology from the CM over his "unparliamentary" remarks against them before walking out of the House in protest during the Question Hour.

"As far as the matter is concerned, sometimes things are said in the heat of emotions. What I said hurt him, and I regret that. However, whatever I said was about them; I did not bring any of his family members into it. His field commanders, while leaving, dragged my parents and my late grandfather into it. But I will let that go as well," Abdullah told the House here.

Ahead of the CM's statement, BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma said that he believed that nothing very serious had been said (by his party legislators) and maintained that there could have been a "slip of the tongue."

CM Abdullah said that he shared cordial relations with legislators across party lines and had been interacting with all MLAs over the past one and a half years. "Had I been allowed to speak earlier, I would have clarified and withdrawn my remarks. But I was not given the opportunity to do so at the time," he said.

Reiterating his responsibility as the CM, Abdullah said that he represented voters from all regions and had responded to questions raised by the Opposition, despite some being difficult to answer.

He further cautioned that disruptions in the House could hamper the passage of grants related to key departments, including Education, Health and Social Welfare, adding that he did not want voters from any constituency to feel ignored.