'This is not India that J&K acceded to ': Omar Abdullah

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday condemned the ink attack on independent MLA Engineer Rashid, saying the recent incidents of intolerance clearly suggest that there was less space for moderate thought.

He also said that Jammu and Kashmir did not accede to India which is intolerant.

"It's a series of attacks which suggests that there is less and less space for moderate thought. This is not the India that J&K acceded to, this is not the India I grew up in. There was a lot more tolerance, acceptability. There was a lot more respect for the fact that India is an assimilation of religions and cultures," Omar told ANI here.

The former J-K chief minister also slammed Haryana Chief Minister M.L. Khattar over his beef remark.

"When he (M.L. Khattar) says that Muslims will have to give up eating beef if they want to live in this country, who is he to tell us. The thoughts of Haryana Chief Minister, he is not a minor person. He is one of a handful of Chief Ministers in this country," he said.

The ink attack took place when Engineer Rashid had called a press conference in the national capital.

The Hindu Sena has claimed responsibility for the attack alleging that Rashid has insulted cow, which is considered sacred to Hindus.

Rashid was recently beaten up by BJP MLAs inside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for allegedly hosting a beef party at the MLA hostel.