‘Not here to make political parties happy,’ says J-K governor Satya Pal Malik

Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday said that he has no political agenda to pursue in the restive state and encroach upon the space of political parties.

“I am not here to make political parties happy. Having said that, I have good relations with all of them,” Malik said at a press briefing organised here on the occasion of his five month completion in the office. He took over as the governor on August 21.

Recently, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had accused the governor of encroaching upon the political space.

“I am here to give an impetus to the developmental works and address genuine grievances of people. I am working well within the ambit of the state constitution,” he added.

Malik said the good work done in state is not showcased to the outside world and the Valley is demonised for every small incident.

“I gave impetus to development since I took over in August, strengthening the grass-root democracy in the state,” Malik said, adding that the successful conduct of local body and panchayat elections failed to get the required media attention.

“Kashmir has been plagued with corruption. I am not defaming Kashmir but those indulging in corruption are. An ordinary boy who plies a mule on Amarnath route doesn’t have a sweater but those in power, be it in administration, politics or business are having a better living standard than Mughal emperor Jahangir,” the governor said.

“Had the funds been properly utilised , Kashmir would have been of gold today,” he added.

Malik said that major developmental projects are in the pipeline for twin capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu.

Governor Malik expressed satisfaction over the successful completion of the local bodies polls and said it was not his duty to “satisfy” politicians.

Malik said the situation in the state has marked an improvement and is near normal. “...interestingly I might be the first governor who jumped his protocol and had tea with both of them (former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti),” he told reporters. He said his administration was focused on the eradication of corruption and had set up an anti-corruption bureau.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that governor Satya Pal Malik will be judged on how quickly assembly elections are held in the state and delay in the same will reflect his failure.

Abdullah was reacting on a full page advertisement issued by the Jammu and Kashmir government in newspapers crediting the governor for successfully holding panchayat and local body polls in the state and on other issues including addressing Ladakh’s developmental aspirations.

“Jenab Malik Sb has launched a public relation blitz. I won’t comment on the appropriateness of this. All I’ll say is that the governer will be judged by one yardstick only - how quickly he is able to give the people of J&K a popularly elected government. Any delay will be his failure,’’ Omar wrote on a social networking site while posting the advertisement.

First Published: Dec 13, 2018 00:04 IST