Monitor News Bureau
Srinagar, Nov 27: Former J&K Chief Ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah Tuesday praised Governor Satya Pal Malik for refusing to listen to the Delhi which, as per the Governor’s remark, had asked him to install Sajad Lone as J&K Chief Minister.
“Leaving aside the fax machine fiasco, good to see that governor Sb refused to take dictation from Delhi, rather opted for dissolution of assembly. This could be unprecedented, given the story of democracy in the state,” Mehbooba tweeted soon after media reports poured in about the Governor’s remarks.
Omar too had his share of praise for the Governor. He tweeted: “My compliments to Governor Malik for not looking to Delhi and for not taking their instructions thereby stopping the installation of a government of the BJP & its proxies formed by horse trading, defections & use of money.”
Governor Malik purportedly said he would have made People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone the chief minister of the state had he listened to instructions from the Centre.
A video in which the Governor claims so surfaced on Tuesday and was widely reported by the Indian media.
“If I had listened to Delhi, I would have had to install Sajad Lone as CM, and I would have become dishonest forever,” Mali, as per the video, is seen saying during an event in Gwalior on November 24.
National Conference also came out with a separate press statement welcoming and complimenting the Governor “on his stand of not taking instructions from New Delhi and stopping it from installing BJP and its proxies as states CM.”
Party General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar, as per the statement, said: “If it is true, it certainly is a welcome development where state governor has exerted his authority in making a correct and sensible decision,” adding, “By doing so he has exposed the so called third front as a power hungry creation facilitated by BJP to create chaos and confusion in the state.”
Asserting that National Conference does not mind to fight an open battle against its adversaries, he praised Malik for dissolving the state assembly and stopping BJP and its proxies to form government in the state.
“The lies and false accusations to which BJP and its proxies resorted to stand defeated today with Governor Sb himself making it clear how he withstood the pressure of installing BJP proxies as CM here,” he said.
