Srinagar, July 28: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday resigned from the post after a senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader alleged that he was involved in the Srinagar sex scandal.
However, Governor NN Vohra refused to accept the resignation and asked Omar to stay on till the probe on the matter is over.
In his resignation letter, Omar had asked Vohra to initiate an enquiry into the allegations levelled against him within a specified time frame.
“I would be grateful if in a time bound manner you can enquire into the allegations levelled against me at the the earliest,” Omar’s political advisor Davender Rana quoted the Chief Minister as saying.
Omar had submitted a conditional resignation letter to the Governor and CNN-IBN has exclusive details of the letter that the J-K Chief Minister had sent to Governor Vohra.
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The letter leaves options open for the Governor. Omar in his letter has asked for an investigation into Opposition’s allegation that he was involved in the 2006 sex scandal.
Omar says if the charge is proved, he will quit office.
But the Governor while rejecting Omar’s resignation asked him to continue till investigations into the sex scandal are over.
There was high drama in the Assembly when Omar said he would step down and not return till the allegations were proved wrong.
Members of his party, National Conference, surrounded him and tried to physically stop him from leaving, but a determined Omar walked out of the Assembly.
“I know it is a false allegation. I cannot work till I am proved innocent. It is a blot on my character,” Omar said.
“Any amount of investigation by the home department will not help. Till I am able to prove my innocence, I am going to give my resignation to the Governor,” Omar told the State Assembly, a statement that shocked his party MLAs and ministers.
The whole drama began when PDP leader and former deputy chief minister Muzaffar Beig levelled the allegation that Omar was involved in the infamous Srinagar sex scandal.
He claimed he had a list of people involved in the scandal in which Omar’s name figured.
“All we want is further investigation. I had initiated his inquiry by CBI. Unfortunately even CBI started dragging its feet. High ranking politicians’ names were also involved. CBI has given the first list of names. He is a suspect in the confidential court papers,” Baig alleged.
–Agencies