Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday challenged Union Minister JP Nadda’s remarks on the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB) paper leak, saying the Union minister had incorrectly linked the incident to a National Conference-Congress government.
Responding to Nadda’s comments on social media platform X, Abdullah said the paper leak took place in 2022, when Jammu and Kashmir was under the administration of the Lieutenant Governor, not an elected NC-Congress government.
What JP Nadda Said
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, BJP president and Union minister JP Nadda rejected Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that over 150 paper leaks had occurred in the past decade without convictions.
While listing several alleged paper leak incidents under Congress and its allies, Nadda referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB) examination and claimed the government at the time was led by the National Conference and Congress.
Omar Abdullah’s Response
Fact-checking the statement, Abdullah said the Union minister had got both the timeline and the government wrong.
“You are absolutely correct about the SSB paper leak in J&K @JPNadda ji, but you have got the date wrong. It was 2022. The government wasn’t of NC & Congress. It was a government headed by the Lt Governor,” Abdullah wrote on X.
In a sharp remark, he added, “Thank you for reminding everyone of this failure.”
High Court Order Highlighted
The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister also referred to observations made by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in connection with the paper leak case.
He noted that the High Court had directed the administration to constitute a high-level committee headed by a retired High Court judge to investigate the conduct of the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board.
Questioning the outcome of that exercise, Abdullah wrote that there was no public information about the committee’s findings.
“We have no idea what happened to the High Level Committee or its report. Perhaps you can share that with us in your next press conference,” he said.
Political Context
The exchange comes amid a nationwide political debate over examination paper leaks and the ongoing protests over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
Jammu and Kashmir remained under Lieutenant Governor’s administration in 2022, following the revocation of Article 370 and the absence of an elected government.
Assembly elections were held in 2024, after which the National Conference-Congress alliance formed the government, with Omar Abdullah taking oath as Chief Minister in October 2024.
