Latest news with #SatyaPalMalik
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
BJP spokesperson expelled for speaking against party's treatment of Satya Pal Malik, Dhankhar
The BJP on Friday expelled party spokesperson Krishna Kumar Janu following his comments on the BJP government and its 'disdain' for the late Satya Pal Malik. Officially, however, Janu was expelled over his June comments objecting to Harshini Kulhari's appointment as BJP's Jhunjhunu district president. In the order issued Friday, Onkar Singh Lakhawat, chairperson of BJP's state disciplinary committee said that Janu failed to justify his actions in response to a show-cause notice issued on June 20, sealing his expulsion for 6 years. In a video which went viral over the last couple of days, Janu is heard criticising BJP's Jat leaders over the alleged humiliating treatment of former Governor Malik and the unceremonious exit of Jagdeep Dhankhar as Vice President – both of whom are Jats. In the video, Janu says that seeing the last rites of the former Governor who was also party's former national vice president, and the government's tiraskar (disdain) towards him has deeply hurt him and that he wishes to ask questions from Jats working in the party, be it MPs, MLAs or other post holders. He asked them how can they think that what happened with Malik won't happen with them, and 'the manner in which the disdain was exemplified, it cannot be justified'. He said the party's current leadership is responsible for pushing veteran leaders like L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha, Praveen Togadia, Sanjay Joshi, and Vasundhara Raje to the sidelines and has now turned former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan into a puppet. He said 'what the BJP is doing with mass leaders who are popular on the ground is very sad. The party is going in the wrong direction through all this. I don't understand why the people are quiet.' He said that BJP's Jat leaders come from a community which speaks on the visangati (inconsistencies) within the Sanatan and in the past, they have sided with Guru Nanak Dev, Jambhoji Maharaj and Dayanand Saraswati, then why are they hesitating to speak up. 'The humiliation which was witnessed during the last rites of Satya Pal Malik – no state funeral was given to someone who held a Constitutional post – is a sign that the government is prejudiced and behaving in this manner out of fear,' Janu said, adding that the one who compromises with his principles on account of fear is not a Jat. He also raised questions on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's unusual departure, saying that there was no farewell speech or a farewell party for him and that 'it is Jat's sanskar (culture) to clash with an arrogant government' while criticising the Jats within the BJP and urging them to speak out against the wrongs.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
J&K's first ‘political' Governor, Satya Pal Malik had a controversial 14-month run in Srinagar Raj Bhawan
When Satya Pal Malik was appointed the Jammu and Kashmir Governor in August 2018, he was the first politician to hold the post in the erstwhile state in over five decades. From 1967 till Malik's appointment, the Centre-appointed Governors were either bureaucrats or armed forces and intelligence officers. Malik passed away in Delhi on Tuesday at the age of 79. Malik's appointment as Governor — he succeeded the suave but astute bureaucrat N N Vohra — was seen in the Valley as the Centre's 'realisation' that J&K is a 'political problem' that needs a 'political solution'. But his 14-month tenure as Governor turned out to be among the most controversial periods for J&K. On August 3, 2019 – two days before the Centre abrogated Article 370 and split J&K into two Union Territories – Malik asked the public to remain calm and reject 'exaggerated and unfounded rumours'. But just two days later, he oversaw the sweeping Constitutional changes in J&K as the Centre abrogated its special status. Political leaders, including three former Chief Ministers, were jailed, a strict curfew was imposed, and Kashmir was disconnected from the outside world for six months as internet and telephone services were halted. Though Kashmir has a long history of grievances with the Centre-appointed Governors, Malik was seen as an enabler who played a crucial part in 'disempowering' the people of J&K. Just three months into the office, Malik was at the centre of a controversy that was popularly known as 'faxgate' in J&K. In November 2018 – four months after the BJP walked out of a coalition government with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – when the PDP, National Conference (NC) and Congress together staked a claim to form a new government in J&K, Malik hastily announced the dissolution of the Assembly. His contention: The three political parties – two of whom, the PDP and NC, were rivals – would be unable to form a stable government despite the numbers being in their favour. In a post on X at the time, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti shared a letter in which she had staked a claim to form the government and said the Governor was not accessible, prompting the NC's Omar Abdullah to say, 'The J&K Raj Bhawan needs a new fax machine urgently.' At the same time, People's Conference chief Sajad Lone also staked a claim to form the government via WhatsApp. But Malik said there was no one at his office to receive the relevant faxes because of a holiday. The statements of an outspoken Malik often pitted him not only against political leaders in the Valley, but also against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On February 14, 2019, a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber killed 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama – bringing India to the brink of a war with Pakistan. Later, in an interview, Malik accepted the attack stemmed from an intelligence failure and alleged that the PM had told him not to speak about the 'Home Ministry's lapses'. Malik even said the Prime Minister is 'ill-informed' and 'ignorant' about Kashmir. Malik often accused the Valley's political leaders of corruption, though he didn't spare even BJP leaders. In an interview in 2021, he claimed that a senior RSS leader offered him kickbacks of Rs 300 crore to 'clear two files related to Anil Ambani' when he was the J&K Governor. In response, he received a defamation notice. In May, the CBI filed a chargesheet against Malik in a case of alleged corruption in the Kiru hydel project in 2019. He alleged the Centre was trying to 'frame him' in a false case. 'The tender they wanted to implicate me was one I personally cancelled,' he said. 'I had informed the Prime Minister about the corruption in that matter, and after informing him, I cancelled that tender myself. After my transfer, that tender was approved with someone else's signature.'
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Rajya Sabha adjourned after Opposition seeks a discussion under Rule 267
Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned until 2 pm Wednesday, soon after the House commenced. After ministers laid papers on the table of the House, and an obituary was read out for former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik, Deputy Chairman Harivansh said he would not admit 35 notices received under Rule 267. This prompted Opposition members to stand up and protest, demanding that a discussion be held on important issues. 'Thirty-five notices have been received today under Rule 267. In view of my observation made yesterday, and since none of these notices are in adherence to the rules as enunciated in the past, I am not admitting any of the notices,' Harivansh said. Opposition parties have repeatedly sought a discussion on the Election Commission of India's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Under Rule 267, MPs seek discussion on urgent matters. Harivansh appealed to members to let the House function to conduct business during Zero Hour, to allow members to raise important public issues. 'Yesterday, many members came to me who wanted to raise issues during the zero hour. I expect you to allow people to speak and raise their issues during Zero Hour, which are important to the country. I urge all of you, give them an opportunity. Do you not want the parliament to function?' he said. With members not relenting, the deputy chairman adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Manuscript of Satya Pal Malik's tell-all book on J&K was hidden by him. Will it see the light of day?
Following his retirement as Governor of Meghalaya in 2022, there was a recurring theme in the conversations Satya Pal Malik had with The Indian Express: the 'explosive'' content of the book he was penning on his tenure in J&K, which saw its special status taken away and got split into two Union Territories in August 2019. Prior to his three-month-long hospitalisation, the 79-year-old former Governor had revealed that, as a precaution, he had moved the unfinished manuscript to an undisclosed location. Following his demise on Tuesday, one of his trusted aides told The Indian Express that the book was 'almost done' but not yet finished. ' We cannot tell you where the manuscript is. All I can tell you is that much or most of the book has been written,' his aide said. Earlier, when asked about what other revelations his book would contain, such as further details of security lapses in the 2019 Pulwama attack, Malik had said, 'As far as Pulwama is concerned, it involves the lives of 40 of our soldiers. Air transport was denied to the troops and there has been no inquiry, no one has been held responsible…. all these details will be there in my book… Wait for the book, I cannot tell you everything now. But the book will be about governing J&K and about the Government's lethargy.' He had added, 'What else will be revelatory will only be known when the book is out. If I say there is a book ready, they will raid me. But I am more than halfway through and many publishers are ready to publish it. Some episodes which will be discussed at length, for instance, there will be all details about the dissolution of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly in 2018…' During his hospitalisation in 2024, too, Malik had spoken to The Indian Express about the yet-to-be published book and how he had moved its manuscript to a safer location. The book, he said, was tentatively titled, 'The Truth about Kashmir' 'I had spoken about my tell-all book on Kashmir at a public rally and that is how people got to know about it. It was after that I realised that I should not keep the 200-page manuscript at home and the CBI raids (in February 2024) have proven me correct. There are many publishers in touch with me for the book,' he had said.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Satya Pal Malik (1946-2025): He hid manuscript of tell-all book on J&K; will it see the light of day?
Following his retirement as Governor of Meghalaya in 2022, there was a recurring theme in the conversations Satya Pal Malik had with The Indian Express: the 'explosive'' content of the book he was penning on his tenure in Jammu & Kashmir, which saw its special status taken away and its split into two Union Territories. Prior to his three-month long hospitalisation, the 79-year old former Governor had revealed that as a precaution, he had moved the unfinished manuscript to an undisclosed location. Following his demise Tuesday, one of his trusted aides told The Indian Express that the book was 'almost done' but not yet finished. 'We cannot tell you where the manuscript is. All I can tell you is that much or most of the book has been written,' his aide said. Earlier, when asked about what other revelations his book would contain, such as further details of security lapses in the 2019 Pulwama attack, Malik had said, 'As far as Pulwama is concerned, it involves the lives of 40 of our soldiers. Air transport was denied to the troops and there has been no inquiry, no one has been held responsible…. all these details will be there in my book… Wait for the book, I cannot tell you everything now. But the book will be about governing J&K and about the Government's lethargy.' He had added, 'What else will be revelatory will only be known when the book is out. If I say there is a book ready, they will raid me. But I am more than half-way through and many publishers are ready to publish it. Some episodes which will be discussed at length, for instance, there will be all details about the dissolution of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly in 2018…' During his hospitalisation in 2024, too, Malik had spoken to The Indian Express about the yet-to-be published book and how he had moved its manuscript to a safer location. The book, he said, was tentatively titled, 'The Truth about Kashmir' 'I had spoken about my tell-all book on Kashmir at a public rally and that is how people got to know about it. It was after that I realised that I should not keep the 200-page manuscript at home and the CBI raids (in February 2024) have proven me correct. There are many publishers in touch with me for the book…' he had said. Ritu Sarin is Executive Editor (News and Investigations) at The Indian Express group. Her areas of specialisation include internal security, money laundering and corruption. Sarin is one of India's most renowned reporters and has a career in journalism of over four decades. She is a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) since 1999 and since early 2023, a member of its Board of Directors. She has also been a founder member of the ICIJ Network Committee (INC). She has, to begin with, alone, and later led teams which have worked on ICIJ's Offshore Leaks, Swiss Leaks, the Pulitzer Prize winning Panama Papers, Paradise Papers, Implant Files, Fincen Files, Pandora Papers, the Uber Files and Deforestation Inc. She has conducted investigative journalism workshops and addressed investigative journalism conferences with a specialisation on collaborative journalism in several countries. ... Read More
