# Omar Abdullah backs Rahul Gandhi’s protest, says LoP must hold govt accountable 2026-08-21T20:44:07+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday backed Rahul Gandhi, saying the leader of the opposition's job is to question the government and hold it accountable. Speaking to reporters, Abdullah said if the opposition leader does not do this, there is no use for him. He pointed out that no one objects when Jammu and Kashmir's opposition leader Sunil Sharma (BJP) asks repeated questions, but when Gandhi does the same, he is criticised. Abdullah said Gandhi is doing what the country expects from him and urged that the opposition should not be judged on different scales. Abdullah's remarks came after Gandhi staged a protest lasting over six hours at the Parliament Street police station in Delhi, demanding registration of an FIR on a complaint from a youth who allegedly suffered pellet injuries during a protest at Jantar Mantar on July 20. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Abdullah's defence of Gandhi is notable as it comes from a chief minister who leads a coalition government with the Congress, but also depends on the Centre for funds and security. The protest tactic of sitting at a police station is unusual for a national LoP and signals a more confrontational phase in the opposition's strategy ahead of the next parliamentary session. The pellet injury case, from a July 20 protest, has become a flashpoint because Delhi Police has not yet registered the FIR, leaving the complaint in limbo. Watch whether the Delhi Police files the FIR or the matter goes to court. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Reports Abdullah's comments and Gandhi's protest without editorialising or adding opinion. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: BJP, Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, Parliament Street police station, Rahul Gandhi Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/omar-abdullah-backs-rahul-gandhis-protest-says-lop-must-hold-govt-accountable/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/omar-abdullah-backs-rahul-gandhis-protest-says-lop-must-hold-govt-accountable/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/