Srinagar: A video of Jammu and Kashmir’s former chief minister Farooq Abdullah talking on the phone while the national anthem was being played has gone viral on social media.
He was present in Kolkata on Friday during Mamata Banerjee’s oath-taking ceremony as West Bengal chief minister. Abdullah began talking on his phone before the national anthem began and continued talking till the anthem finished.
All the elected ministers were standing at attention. Some were repeating the lyrics of national anthem while others like Firhad Hakim, had their palm on their heart out of respect.
Netizens slammed the veteran leader.
“How patriot and nationalist Farooq Abdullah can afford to insult the nation and anthem like this,” tweeted one whileothers dubbed Abdullah’s phone talk “really shameful”.