Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of turning his former polling agent, who is now Jammu Bar Association President, 'communal'.

He made this comment while reacting on his relations with Jammu Bar Association president B S Slathia, who is accused of opposing the Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch's charge sheet in the Kathua gang rape case.

"Yes, he (Slathia) was my polling agent. Also, J&K minister from BJP quota Lal Singh was in Congress. They (Slathia and Singh) were secular then but the BJP has vitiated the atmosphere so badly in Jammu and Kashmir that these individuals have now turned communal," Azad said.

Slathia has come into the limelight because of his demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation investigation into the Kathua rape case.

A lawyer in Jammu D S Rajawat had accused Slathia had threatened her and asked her not to appear for the Kathua victim. Slathia has denied these charges.   -- ANI