Amid the political controversy surrounding the Waqf Amendment Act, the opposition criticized Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference president Dr. Farooq Abdullah for accompanying Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju during a morning walk in Srinagar's popular Tulip Garden on Monday.
Kiren Rijiju, who attended the Lok Samvardhan Parv at the Convocation Ground, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, on Sunday, shared pictures with Omar Abdullah and Dr. Farooq Abdullah on social media.
"A refreshing morning walk amid the vibrant hues of the Tulip Garden in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and also glad to meet Dr. Farooq Abdullah Sahib. Nature at its finest & conversations filled with warmth and vision, a truly special morning," Rijiju posted on his account. Omar, Rijiju, and Dr. Farooq Abdullah were seen shaking hands, strolling, and posing for pictures together.
Opposition wastes no time in attacking the Abdullahs
Within minutes of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju sharing the pictures, opposition parties, including the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Peoples Conference, seized the opportunity to troll the Abdullahs for their association with Rijiju, who piloted the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025. The bill, passed in both houses of Parliament last week, became law after receiving President Droupadi Murmu's assent on April 5.
Peoples Conference president and Handwara legislator Sajad Gani Lone remarked that the J&K Chief Minister could have distanced himself from Rijiju, who tabled the bill. "The least Muslims of India deserved was that in J&K, the only Muslim-majority province in India, the CM, as a mark of protest, stays away from Mr. Kiren Rijiju, who presented the Waqf bill. Instead, he tags along with Farooq Sahib as well. What a shame," Lone wrote on his social media account.
PDP leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar took a sarcastic jab, saying, "Registering disapproval of the Waqf law with its mover just a day later. NC has this charming skill set of channeling the sentiment of its people in the most romantic ways. Always champions." Another PDP leader, Mohit Bhan, posted, "Omar Sahab & Farooq Sahab extending a warm welcome after being humiliated by the Minorities Minister on the WAQF Bill in Parliament. Dostana bana rahe."
PDP legislator from Pulwama and youth president Waheed Para also criticized the move, stating, "The minority affairs minister who tabled the bill in Parliament was received by the Chief Minister, and both did a morning walk together in Tulip Garden. J&K, the only Muslim-majority state in India with 50 Muslim MLAs, has failed its community by not passing a resolution against the Waqf Bill. Tamil Nadu took a stand, but NC keeps surrendering—first on Article 370, then statehood, now religious matters. No resolution on Waqf is a silent approval. NC MLAs protest for show while the CM and NC patron roll out the welcome mat for the Minority Minister who pushed the bill against Waqf."
As reported earlier, in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, legislators from the National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) created an after their adjournment motions to discuss the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 were rejected. Due to the pandemonium and ruckus, the Speaker adjourned the House twice.
