Amit Shah responds to Satya Pal Malik's Pulwama attack claims
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday responded to former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik's allegations against the Centre for its handling of the situation that allegedly led to the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. At the Karnataka Roundtable organized by India Today, Shah asked if Malik's claims were true, then why did he remain silent during his stint in the union territory.
Why does this story matter?
In a recent interview with The Wire, the last governor of the erstwhile J&K state accused PM Narendra Modi of silencing him about the Union Home Affairs Ministry's failures that led to the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. Malik, once a savior for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), also claimed that Modi had "no real problem with corruption."
BJP has nothing to hide: Shah
Questioning the credibility of Malik's claims, Shah said, "The BJP hasn't done anything that needs to be hidden... If he had information about irregularities, he should have spoken during his tenure. Why is he making such claims now? This calls for a credibility check." Notably, Malik alleged the Indian Army was "denied" aircraft and made to travel by road despite a terror attack threat.
No relation between CBI summons, Malik's claims: Shah
Furthermore, talking about Malik being summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Shah added that there was no relation between the summons and Malik's allegations. To note, the central probe agency summoned Malik in connection with an alleged insurance scam case. Malik had alleged that he was offered a Rs. 300cr bribe for clearing two files during his stint in Jammu and Kashmir.