This Article is From Mar 31, 2014

Caught on camera: Omar Abdullah's minister forces man to swear on Quran to vote for her party




Srinagar: A video clip has appeared on social networking sites which purportedly shows a Jammu and Kashmir Minister invoking religion to seek support of a reluctant old man in the upcoming elections.

Jammu and Kashmir's Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo, the only woman minister in the Omar Abdullah Cabinet, along with her party workers, is apparently seen asking the old man to support her during the elections.

"I am like your daughter, you take oath with Quran in your hands that you will support us in the elections like in the past," Ms Itoo is seen telling him in the video.

The man is seen eventually pledging support to Ms Itoo and the party.

The National Conference said that there was "absolutely nothing wrong" with the minister's actions which are a part of the culture here and there was no violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

Mr Abdullah too said on Twitter that he has spoken to the minister and she has clarified that the incident took place before the Model Code of Conduct came into force on March 5.

"I've spoken to Sakina, this video was taken months before the election code. She isn't threatening anyone, she isn't abusing anyone. She is trying to convince an old worker of her father to come back & work for the party as he had been upset for a while," Mr Abdullah said in a series of tweets on Sunday evening.

He also questioned Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) petitioning the Election Commission over the video. "She isn't asking for votes or in anyway talking about elections/rival candidates. How is this then an election matter? I know the PDP is in complete panic mode but using old videos and trying to mislead the EC about code violations is desperate beyond words," Mr Abdullah tweeted.

The exact date of the 3:11 minute-video, which went viral on social networking sites and has become a topic of discussions among the netizens, is not known.

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