Satyapal Malik, a former governor of Jammu & Kashmir, has stirred up political controversy with his remarks regarding the 2019 Pulwama assault. In a recent interview, Mr. Malik asserted that the Pulwama incident, which resulted in the deaths of 40 CRPF members, was caused by security failings. He added that the government had turned down the paramilitary force’s request for an aeroplane to commute, which forced the jawans to take the road.
Mr. Malik claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “ill-informed” about the Jammu and Kashmir region in his interview with The Wire.
The ruling BJP cited his prior statements in which he had supported the administration and claimed that his “U-turns” raised doubts about his trustworthiness. Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP’s I-T department, presented several old videos of Mr. Malik praising the leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Here is what Satyapal Malik said about Rahul Gandhi, in case Congress thugs get too thrilled about their newfound hero in shining armour. So, sit down,” Mr. Malviya wrote, attaching a video of Satyapal Malik calling Rahul Gandhi a “political juvenile” and making fun of him.
He is heard in the video referring to Rahul Gandhi as a “political juvenile” and claiming that if it is revealed that Gandhi supports Article 370, which the Modi administration repealed, voters will “beat him with shoes” during elections.
In a subsequent tweet, Mr. Malviya stated that Satyapal Malik was not taken seriously at the time he made these claims. However, it calls into doubt his credibility seriously.
The Opposition, on the other side, is requesting details from the investigation into the Pulwama event.
Repeating Mr. Malik’s accusations, the Congress party charged PM Modi with “suppressing” the incident to “save” his reputation before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary of the Congress, demanded a response from the BJP-led Union government after accusing it of “minimum governance and maximum silence” on Mr. Malik’s allegations regarding the incident.
Sanjay Raut, the leader of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), claimed that the Opposition politicians who voiced concerns about the Pulwama incident were “silenced by the ruling BJP and called traitors.”
The Samajwadi Party also demanded explanations for the “incompetence” of the BJP administration in stopping the attack in Pulwama.
On February 14, 2019, a suicide bomber slammed his car into the CRPF convoy, killing around 40 personnel. The Indian Air Force attacked the terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan, as retaliation.
