Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday lashed out at cricketer Gautam Gambhir over the Kashmir issue, saying he doesn’t need a lecture on nationalism and sacrifice from someone “who wouldn’t know sacrifice if it kicked him”.
Mentioning that his party, the National Conference, has lost thousands of workers since 1988, Omar wrote on microblogging site Twitter, “It’s been less than a week since I had two of my colleagues killed by terrorists, my party has lost 1000s of workers, both senior & junior since 1988. I don’t need a lecture in nationalism & sacrifice from someone who wouldn’t know sacrifice if it kicked him.”
His tweet was in response to Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir questioning his patriotism. Gambhir had alleged that Omar Abdullah was hell bent on “changing the map” of India. The cricketer from Delhi had asked the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister as to what he or other politicians had done to “engage” the youth of the state.
It’s been less than a week since I had two of my colleagues killed by terrorists, my party has lost 1000s of workers, both senior & junior since 1988. I don’t need a lecture in nationalism & sacrifice from someone who wouldn’t know sacrifice if it kicked him. https://t.co/iM14SarX5j
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 12, 2018
“Come on @OmarAbdullah you shouldn’t talk about maps, you are hell bent in changing the map of my country by talking Kashmir to Pakistan! Stroll out of that ivory tower and explain what u or ur fellow politicians have done to engage the Kashmiri youth,” Gambhir had tweeted.
Lashing out at Gambhir, the Abdullah scion tweeted, “Come back when you’ve educated yourself about Kashmir and we can have an informed discussion till then you can keep playing to the galleries.”
It started with Gambhir’s tweet on PhD scholar-turned-terrorist Manan Wani’s death, wherein he had tagged Abdullah, former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, the Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Mannan Wani’s death: We killed a terrorist and lost a radicalised talent. @OmarAbdullah @MehboobaMufti @INCIndia @BJP4India all should bow their heads in embarrassment that they left a young man drift from books to embrace bullet,” the cricketer had tweeted.
