Farooq Abdullah 'maha chors' comment creates stir

Jammu: Chaos broke out in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Monday over former chief minister Farooq Abdullah’s comments on the people of Kashmir, whom he called "maha chors" (biggest thieves) at a function held recently. Ministers disrupted the question hour in the Legislative Assembly in protest over the comment.

President of the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti, led the protest in the assembly against Abdullah's remarks. "How can the National Conference (NC) be so shameless? They are the patrons of corruption in the state and they are calling Kashmiris thieves. It is outright shameless," Mehbooba Mufti told the media outside the assembly.

Abdullah had made the remark over alleged power theft by people in the valley, who he said bypassed electric meters to avoid payments to the state electricity department.

However, later on Monday, he denied the report.

"I had never said that Kashmiris are maha chor (big thieves)," the Union Minister told reporters here on Monday. "There is lot of pilferage of power. Many of our people are stealing electricity. But I never said anything like that Kashmiris are thieves," he said. He said, "It (pilferage of electricity) happens all over the country. Biggest transmission and distribution losses are in Jammu and Kashmir."

Expressing dismay over the media reports, Farooq said, "I am sad that I was misquoted by the media."

"Kashmiri chor nahi, maha chor hai (Kashmiris are not just thieves, they are the biggest thieves)," Abdullah had earlier  said at a function while releasing the 'Citizens report on state of renewable energy'.