Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday described Governor of Goa, Satya Pal Malik as “only naam ka satya not kaam ka”.
Abdullah accused Malik, who previously served as the governor of Jammu and Kashmir and supervised abrogation of Article 370 in the erstwhile state, of lying. His statement came after Malik was quoted by a news agency saying that when in 2018 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that they will conduct elections in Jammu and Kashmir, he broke protocol and went to Omar Abdullah’s and Mehboooba Mufti’s residences asking them to participate in the polls. Malik said both of them refused to participate in the polls under pressure from Pakistan. He said militants had also threatened but elections were conducted smoothly.
“Only naam ka satya not kaam ka. He never tires of lying. Lied to people of J&K before 5th August & lying now. Hiding behind walls of Raj Bhavan protected from defamation suits so feels emboldened to shoot his mouth off. Let him say all this when he is no longer governor & see,” Abdullah tweeted.
Ordinarily I wouldn’t have replied to his nonsensical drivel but then some people start believing he’s telling the truth, I learnt that the hard way with his rubbish, so now I don’t take any of his lies lying down,” reads another tweet of his.
In September 2018, the PDP and National Conference boycotted urban local body and panchayat polls as the central government was not committing to safeguarding constitutional provisions for Jammu and Kashmir.
Both the parties had announced not to contest the polls until the Centre and the governor administration clarify its position on Article 35-A. The constitutional provision would empower the Government of J&K to define a class of persons as constituting “permanent residents” of the erstwhile state and allow the government to confer on them special rights and privileges with respect to matters of public employment and acquisition of immovable property in the State.
On August 5, 2019, the Central government removed both Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution, amid communication blockade, security siege and arrests of nearly 8,000 people including three former Chief Ministers–Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.
Malik, however, justified the arrest of these leaders saying he had himself gone to jail 30 times. “Those who will go to jail, will become leaders. Let them be there,” Malik had said.