"I won't lose my job but the threat of transfer is there," J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik said at an event.
Highlights
- "Won't lose my job but the threat of transfer is there": Satya Pal Malik
- He took charge as Jammu and Kashmir Governor three months ago
- He defended move to dissolve Jammu and Kashmir assembly
After a controversy over a comment seen to imply that the centre wanted him to install Sajad Lone as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Governor Satya Pal Malik, who took charge just three months ago, has talked about a "threat of transfer".
Speaking at an event in Jammu on Tuesday, the Governor said he may not lose his job but there was no telling when he would be shifted. The remarks drew attention in the middle of a political flap over his "reveal" on assembly dissolution in Jammu and Kashmir.
"As long as I'm here - it's not in my hands - I don't know when I will be transferred from here. I will not lose my job but the threat of transfer is there. As long as I'm here, I assure you people that whenever you call me I will come here to pay my tributes," Mr Malik said at a function to mark the death anniversary of Girdhari Lal Dogra, a legendary Congress leader.
The comments assume significance because of the row over his statement on Saturday in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior. He had said: "Had I looked towards Delhi (the centre), then I would have been forced to invite Sajad Lone to form the government. Then I would have gone down in history as unscrupulous. But I ended the whole thing. Those who want to abuse me can do so, but I am convinced I did the right thing."
The Governor was defending his decision to dissolve the Jammu and Kashmir assembly right after receiving two claims to form government, one from former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti who claimed the support of her rival Omar Abdullah and the Congress, and the other from Sajad Lone, whose two-member party was backed by the BJP. He had earlier also said he feared horse-trading of lawmakers to raise numbers.
Sajad Lone reacted sharply to Mr Malik's comment. "The Governor can't rip me apart in the media, his remarks were disrespectful. It is not good that you go on TV and portray every Kashmiri as corrupt. We won't take it. It was a very disdainful, disrespectful characterization of Kashmiris," the People's Conference leader told NDTV on Tuesday.