‘Regrettable that Governor goes to media houses unequipped with facts, sweeping general comments’
Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday questioned the state Governor Satyapal Malik over his recent allegations, stating that the governor’s frequent remarks end up defaming Kashmiris and vital institutions of the state and for him every Kashmiri is a thief.
Senior PDP leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar said in a statement that it is regrettable that the Governor should go to every channel and every newspaper about whatever he hears in the discharge of his duty and apparently without verifying facts, he is making general comments.
“It is very unfortunate that he is grudging the people of Kashmir even having a house. Going by his statements, it comes out that anybody who is owning a big or a small house in Kashmir has to be dishonest. The system would demand that rather than making sweeping statements about entire populace of Kashmir, if there is a list of such suspects, action is initiated against them, inquiry is held and those people are made to face law,” Akhtar said.
Reacting over the graft related allegations Mr Malik made in his recent statements, Akhtar said that Governor can ask his accountability organisations to take action against those involved rather than going to the press on this issue. “It would be advisable for the Governor to first ask his accountability apparatus to take action and establish guilt before going to the media,” said the senior PDP leader.
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Over the Reliance Insurance scam and its subsequent scrapping, Akhtar said that the Governor had himself admit that he was mislead in approving the project involving Rs 30 thousand crore of state employees. If that is so then the people of the state are clearly living in unsafe times and it becomes obvious that his predecessors in governance have been more resistant to such mischiefs by officers.
Akhtar added that the undeniable fact remains that the insurance plan has been approved by this administration itself and its scarping only established that a wrong has been done. “Mere scrapping of the decision doesn’t wash off the initial action which is now termed as full of frauds by the governor himself. The fraud has been detected only after the employees were made to pay first installment forcibly and some payment has been advanced to the company,” Akhtar said.
He added that it is suggested that Governor Malik, who appears to be well meaning person, verifies facts before going to the media and because anything that comes from him is taken very seriously. “He is not to spread things that have been part of gossip or insidious whispers but people expect action from him. He should not be prejudging things-that is something to be left to the court of law,” said Akhtar.
The PDP leader further stated that by now, the governor should have realised that he is holding the most important and sensitive job in the country and he should not be contributing to instability in the state and erosion of systems whatever its left of them.
“There is a campaign at the national level to defame Kashmiris because of the suspicion of their loyalties to the country. But unfortunately the present Governor has not been addressing that crisis, instead his comments have most often resulted in further defaming the people of Kashmir,” Akhtar added.
Commenting over Governor’s remarks on state’s Public Service Commission, Akhtar said that it is unfortunate that such a vital institution of the state has been brought into disrepute. “Governor should not be echoing a particular grouse and presenting it as a truth. There is no scope of discrimination in the system and for a verification, Governor may get list of KAS and KPS officers and see for himself which is the community or the region that has been discriminated against but we don’t subscribe to that theory that it is discrimination. We feel that it is purely on the basis of merit that people have got into the civil services,” he said in the statement.
Akhtar remarked further that the undeniable reality remains that Governor Satya Pal Malik presided over the most farcical election in the state which have been fought purely though use of money. “Even for inducing people to file nominations and voting, every vote was purchased and that is the matter of common knowledge that every vote that was cast of the 40 thousand odd votes was purchased and sold. And that is how the government of India and some political parties have introduced corruption at the grass roots as a state policy to divert attention from political realities,” he added.
Akhtar said the Governor needs to go through the seventy year old relationship between the state and centre and a serious study would inform him that ever since, the first government of Sheikh Abdullah was unconstitutionally dismissed, government of India used bribery in one form or the other to set up a political set-up of its liking either through subsides and by allowing the loot of state resources by a chosen few. “That trend was halted to a great extent following the 2002 elections but is again being revived through use of money, political baits and arm twisting,” he said.
The PDP leader added that inspite of that, there is a vast majority of civil servants and politicians who have resisted the temptations and who have been working according to their conscience and law of the land. The state bureaucracy has come out with flying colours and the political class has been at the fore front of the public service.
