Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said on Sunday that the government will accept the demands of the protesting fighters, just like the farmers who protested against the farm laws in 2020, by apologizing. Malik also spoke about the Pulwama episode, stating that “if the planes had been found for him, he would have provided the same in 15 minutes.”
Malik made the remarks while addressing a mahapanchayat called ‘Sarv Samaj Samarthan Panchayat’ in support of wrestlers protesting in Mundlana village, Sonipat district, Haryana. This marked the third mahapanchayat in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in four days. The initial mahapanchayat took place in Muzaffarnagar district, UP on June 1, followed by another event in Kurukshetra, Haryana on June 3. The Mundlana mahapanchayat was hosted by BKU Senior Leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni and featured speeches by Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) Chief Jayant Chaudhary and Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad who expressed their full support for the fighters.
In an attempt to unite various groups that recently held separate mahapanchayats, Olympic medal-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia announced that the protesting wrestlers would call their own mahapanchayat, with the date to be announced within the next 3-4 days. Punia asked the main speakers of the event to avoid making decisions.
The wrestlers have been demanding action against the head of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation.
During the mahapanchayat, Satya Pal Malik He said: “Brij Bhushan will be removed (from his post), and the government, which supports him, will also be removed in 2024 (polls), 100 percent.” Malik openly criticized the Narendra Modi government during farmers’ agitation against the repealed agricultural laws, stating: “Maafi mang kar wo kanun wapas karne pade (the laws were repealed after apologies).” He urged the people to continue supporting the protesting fighters, assuring that “their demands apologizing will also be accepted, and they will emerge victorious.”
Encouraging the wrestlers to visit Rajasthan, Malik stated that the people of Rajasthan were ready to extend their support. He further stated, “After this meeting, I will go to Rajasthan for the next election. They (BJP) will lose the Rajasthan polls.”
In reference to the alleged ill-treatment of the fighters by the police during their protest in Delhi On May 28, Satya Pal Malik said, “You have seen all that. Blood boiled seeing this.” The former governor warned: “If you don’t remove this government (BJP) in 2024, it will be removed. It will destroy agriculture, Army. They have already finished the Army introducing Agniveer (outline). It will block all our ways of staying alive. If you remove them, surely a good time will come for this country.
previous Jammu and the governor of Kashmir reiterated his claim that after the Pulwama attack on February 14, 2019, which killed CRPF personnel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to remain silent about the alleged lapses he had pointed out. Malik, who served as J&K governor from August 2018 to October 2019, previously stated that the Home Office refused to provide five planes requisitioned by CRPF, prompting a large number of security personnel to travel through highway and become the target of a deadly terrorist ambush. .
During the mahapanchayat, Malik stated, “I would like to urge you, in the upcoming elections, to remember Pulwama (the people) and burn them (BJP) to ashes in the martyrs’ fire… If they (jawans) had found planes for me, I (then Governor of J&K) would have provided the same in 15 minutes. But they sought (help) from the Home Office, and the Home Office did not give them planes. And they (jawans) got martyrdom.”
Commenting on the ongoing protracted protest and previous plans by wrestlers to dunk their medals in the Ganges River, Bajrang Punia said: “This has left our fighting sisters and daughters broken.” Farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni added: “If Punia had requested not to take any decision in today’s meeting, one decision they would have taken would be to call people to prevent BJP leaders from entering the villages. We support the players and assure them that we are ready to make any sacrifice. We will follow what they say. Since this turmoil is from the players, we’ll leave the decision up to them. If they tell us not to allow BJP people into the villages, we will comply.”