A meeting with the Prime Minister regarding the deaths of farmers during agitations over the last year quickly turned into an argument, Meghalaya Governor Staya Pal Malik said on Sunday, alleging that the Prime Minister behaved very 'arrogantly' when asked about farmer deaths.
"He was very arrogant. When I told him that 500 of our own farmers had died, he asked, 'Did they die for me?'...I told him yes, since you are the king. Anyway, I ended up having a fight with him. He told me to meet Amit Shah and so I did," the Governor stated during his address at a function in Dadri, Haryana.
Even when a dog dies, the Prime Minister finds time to send condolences, the Governor remarked. Appointed governor in Jammu and Kashmir and Goa, before being posted to Meghalaya during Narendra Modi's term as prime minister, Satya Pal Malik has made similar controversial statements against the central government.
Addressing reporters at the function where he was honoured by the Phogat Khaap, Malik said that he was 'not afraid' to stand with farmers even if it meant losing his current position. He has been a staunch supporter of the farmer's protests, urging the government to give importance to MSPs and warning the administration that prolonging the demands would not be good for the Centre.
"The government will have to work with honesty to withdraw the cases against the farmers and give a legal framework (guarantee) on MSP. This is the government's responsibility," he said in response to a question. "...But if the government thinks the agitation has ended, it is not so. It has only been suspended. If there is injustice or if there are any excesses with farmers, then the stir will start again," he said.
Malik has previously raised eyebrows with his outspoken remarks against the BJP government, including lambasting the Goa government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic during his tenure there in 2020. He also levelled serious allegations against CM Pramod Sawant and said there was rampant corruption, an allegation which was seized upon by the Opposition who used it to demand the dismissal of Sawant.