On Monday, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks about reports of violence in Kashmir, and offered to send him an aircraft so he could visit the Valley and see conditions for himself.

The governor’s invitation

Speaking in Jammu in reply to a question on statements by some leaders and media reports about violence, Malik said he had invited Rahul Gandhi to come. “I will send you a plane, to observe (the situation) and then speak up,” he said, adding that a responsible person should not speak in such a way.

The governor also said Rahul Gandhi should be ashamed of the conduct of one of his party’s leaders, who he said had spoken like an “idiot” in Parliament.

On Saturday night, Rahul Gandhi had said that reports of violence had come in from the state and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should address the concerns transparently.

Denial of violence and communal angle

Malik said there was no communal angle to scrapping Article 370 and Article 35-A, which he said applied to everyone, in Leh, Kargil, Jammu, Rajouri-Poonch and the Valley alike. He said some people were trying to inflame the issue but had failed.

He said the foreign press had attempted misleading reporting and had been warned. He challenged critics to prove that anyone had been hit by a bullet, saying only four people had suffered pellet injuries to their legs during violence by youths, with no serious injuries.

Asked about claims that Kashmir had become a concentration camp, Malik said educated people did not understand the term. He said he had been jailed 30 times himself and would still not use that description, and noted that people were imprisoned for a year and a half during the Emergency without such a label.

See also: Indian National Congress and political leaders.

Originally published on 13 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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