The BJP activists have been garrulous of late about the glory and power of governorship. They speak volumes about the sanctity of the position despite having turned it into a tool to meddle with the affairs of the state governments including Kerala’s by way of implementing interests of the Centre. The Sangh Parivar often claims that no one loves the soldiers more than they do, even if they do not ensure basic rights for soldiers or honour the assurance given to the retired ones. Meanwhile, Satya Pal Malik who was the governor of the strategic Indian state of Kashmir made some crucial revelations. Malik alleged that the circumstance that led to the death of 40 CRPF jawans in the terrorist attack in Pulwama on February 14, 2019 was due to the central government's grievous negligence and security lapse. In an interview with senior journalist Karan Thapar, Malik said lives of soldiers would not have been lost if the Union Home Ministry had not rejected the CRPF's demand to release planes to transport jawans in view of security concerns of road travel on the basis of intelligence warnings. When he related this situation to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to shut up, Malik claimed. The National Security Adviser also advised him to maintain silence. It's been days since this shocking revelation came out. However, neither the Prime Minister's Office nor the ministries of Home and Defense has made any response as of now. The leaders who bagged votes claiming to avenge the blood of the martyrs of Pulwama are silent.
Following the disclosure, the opposition has demanded an explanation from the Centre. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sought an inquiry under the supervision of the Supreme Court. The 18th Army Chief, Shankar Rai Chaudhary’s was the most noteworthy of the responses that came out. Chaudhary pointed out that the Prime Minister is primarily responsible for the death of army personnel and the National Security Adviser should be answerable to the security lapse.
Jammu and Kashmir is one of the most militarized regions of the world. Here children cannot go to school and women cannot go to the market without walking past gun-toting soldiers. Each vehicle undergoes multiple security checks to pass. Many innocent young men suspected of being terrorists are either subjected to interrogation or shot without interrogation. It is a grievous mystery how a car loaded with 300 kg of explosives roamed freely in this high-security zone for more than 10 days, before ramming into the army convoy, killing the soldiers. Many harboured doubts and misgivings about it at the time but all kept silent on the principle that national interest is paramount. However, when it is revealed that the attack had such a shocking background, asking questions and not remaining silent is best in the interest of the country. Every soldier sets out to sacrifice his life for others. The safety of our lives comes from the vigilance and sacrifice they make in the scorching sands, bone-freezing cold, and minefields in the forests. There is no greater treason than to look down upon them as mere mercenaries. Sangh Parivar leader Ram Madhav has sent a legal notice to Satyapal Malik asking him to withdraw and apologize for the allegations of corruption he had made against him in the interview. Similarly, considering what he said on the Pulwama issue is a lot of lies, why is the Prime Minister keeping his mouth shut, taking no action against him? The nation wants to know, or rather it has a right to know.