Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he was "honoured" to receive a "love letter" from BJP in the form of a legal notice, saying it showed that the party viewed him as a political force it could not ignore.
The remarks came hours after the Jammu and Kashmir BJP served a legal notice to Abdullah over his allegation that the party had attempted to lure National Conference legislators with cash and ministerial berths to topple his government.
Responding to the notice, which threatens a Rs 100-crore defamation suit if he fails to substantiate the allegations or issue a public apology, Abdullah said, "I have received a letter from a lawyer, an electronic copy. I consider this a great honour as I am the only politician in Jammu and Kashmir to have been bestowed with a love letter like this by the BJP. I consider it a mark of respect that I am obviously a political force in Jammu and Kashmir that they cannot ignore."
Abdullah said he had expected the BJP to respond politically to a political statement but accused it of opting for legal action instead.
"It is symbolic of the way the BJP fights. They take political fights and hide behind the courts. I could have made the same statement and hid behind the assembly. I could have taken advantage of the privileges afforded to me by making the statements in the Assembly which cannot be challenged outside the assembly, but I did not," he said.
The Chief Minister also alleged that BJP leaders in Jammu and Kashmir had repeatedly made "slanderous" allegations against the National Conference and its leadership in recent months.
"Particularly, one leader has time and again levelled unfounded and slanderous allegations against us, but we have been fighting him politically. Going on now, we will begin the process of sending legal notices to that particular BJP leader and a few others and let's see where this process ends," he said.
The BJP's legal notice states that Abdullah's allegations amount to defamation under civil and criminal law and asks him to withdraw the charges in writing.
"Issue an unconditional public apology within seven days of receiving the notice. Refrain from publishing or circulating any further defamatory material concerning the BJP. Immediately cease and desist from making or repeating any such statements," the notice said.
(With inputs from PTI)