Tweeting the lighter side, the Omar Abdullah way

As Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah continues to post his feelings on various issues on the micro-blogging site Twitter, thousands of his followers are getting to know the lighter side of the country's youngest chief minister.

Abdullah Friday flew to the state's winter capital Jammu. A tennis fan, the chief minister was disappointed to find that his dish TV connection had not been recharged.

"I can't believe NO ONE at home in Jammu remembered to recharge my Tata Sky account. I can't watch the tennis," the chief minister posted on Twitter, obviously referring to the Wimbledon finals.

In one of his latest posts, Abdullah said: "My life is 'jhingalala' again."

Another of his recent posts read: "Unusually for me I don't have much to say these days."

Abdullah's Twitter followers have swelled. He has over 27,000 followers and many locals have started tweeting their problems to the chief minister via the social networking site.

Some months back, a student preparing for exams in summer capital Srinagar approached Abdullah complaining of a faulty electric transformer in the area. The chief minister got electricity restored in the area immediately.

However, Abdullah has detractors as well. "He posts his feelings, the pictures of the places he visits, the articles he comes across in newspapers, magazines, etc., and other things. How can he be serious about governance when one finds the chief minister on Twitter every now and then?" asked Ghulam Jeelani, 34, a student here.

But Abdullah defended his tweeting right by posting last month: "How much time does it take to post 140 characters on the site? Besides, my following on the site might not be very huge, but it is an important interactive forum."

Abdullah has often posted his feelings about official matters as well. It was because of this that one of the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders last month asked him to continue tweeting - as Omar Abdullah,  not as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

"But that would be ridiculous. As long as Omar Abdullah is chief minister, his Twitter post would always be seen as that of the chief minister. Let the detractors say anything. Omar Abdullah is a modern chief minister who cannot be compared to his father or grandfather. If people have no problem with Barack Obama deciding to join the social networking site, why are there any issues with Omar Abdullah?" asked Saba Bhat, 24, a college student here.