‘Will send you plane, come here, observe’: J&K Guv hits out at Rahul

PTI, Aug 13, 2019, 9:42 AM IST

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Monday hit out at Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that there have been reports of violence in Jammu and Kashmir. Malik said he will send an aircraft for the Congress leader to visit Kashmir valley and observe the ground situation.

“I have invited Rahul Gandhi to come here. I will send you a plane, to observe (the situation) and then speak up. You are a responsible person and you should not speak like this,” Malik said.

On Saturday last, Gandhi had said some reports had come in from Jammu and Kashmir about violence there.

On the Centre’s move to scrap special status from Jammu and Kashmir, the Governor said there was no communal angle to it. “Scrapping of Article 370 and Article 35A was for everyone. There is no communal angle (for scrapping it) in Leh, Kargil, Jammu, Rajouri-Poonch and not here either (Kashmir valley). There is no communal angle to it,” he said.

Malik said the issue was being fanned by some people.

“Foreign press has made an attempt and we have warned them. All hospitals are open for you and if even a single person has been hit by a bullet, prove it. But only four people were hit by pellets in legs when there was violence and there were no serious injuries to anyone,” he said.

Replying to a question about allegations that Kashmir valley has been turned into a “concentration camp”, the Governor said people don’t know the meaning of a concentration camp.

“I know what it is. I have gone to jail 30 times. Even then, I will not term it as a concentration camp. They (Congress) imprisoned people for one-and-half-years during Emergency, but nobody termed them concentration camps. Is preventative arrest (equal to) a concentration camp?” he said.