New Delhi:
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has sparked a controversy with his remarks that people would thrash Congress politicians with shoes in coming elections for supporting Article 370. Malik said this when asked to comment on Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks on Kashmir.
"The Congress party has not cleared its stand on Jammu and Kashmir so far. In the coming elections, its competitors need not say anything. They will just call Congress leaders the supporters of Article 370 and then people will beat them with shoes," Malik was quoted as saying in a press conference.
He also slammed Rahul saying he behaved like a ‘political juvenile’ over the abrogation of Article 370, which led Pakistan to use his comments at the UN.
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"I don't want to speak for Rahul Gandhi as he comes from a respected family. But today he behaved like a political juvenile. Pakistan in its letter to UN mentioned his comments. He should not have done that," Malik said while addressing a press conference.
Malik said that former Congress president should have spoken on Article 370 on the day when one of his party leaders speaking in the Lok Sabha mentioned United Nation with Kashmir.
"If he was a leader he should have scolded his party colleague and then told him the party's stand on Kashmir," he added.
Earlier, Malik assured the people of the state that there identity and culture would be preserved and justified the imposition of severe restrictions after the Centre abrogated provisions of Article 370, saying it was done to prevent any loss of life. He also announced that over 50,000 vacant government posts will be filled up in the next three months, making it the biggest such drive in the state.
Malik, who will be the last governor of the state before it is split into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh -- on October 31, also indicated that internet services will continue to remain suspended for some more time as it was "more used by terrorists and Pakistanis" than the people of the state.
In his brief statement, the governor said he wanted to assure the people of the state that their "identity, culture, religion, society, language, heritage, everything will be protected".
