JAMMU; There was a ruckus in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Monday over union minister and former state chief minister Farooq Abdullah's comments on the people of Kashmir, whom he called "maha chors" (biggest thieves) at a recently held function.

Mehbooba Mufti, president of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led the the protest in the assembly against Abdullah's remarks.

"How can the National Conference (NC) be so shameless? They are the patrons of corruption in the state and they are calling Kashmiris thieves. It is outright shameless," Mehbooba Mufti told the media outside the assembly.

Abdullah had made the remark over alleged pilferage of electricity by people in the valley, who he said bypassed electric meters to avoid payments to the fund-starved state electricity department.

"Kashmiri chor nahi, maha chor hai (Kashmiris are not just thieves, they are the biggest thieves)," Abdullah said at a function while releasing the 'citizens report on state of renewable energy'.