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Obituary reference to Satya Pal Malik triggers heated exchange between NC, BJP in J-K Assembly
Oct-23-2025

The autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed heated exchanges between ruling National Conference (NC) and opposition BJP members during obituary references, triggered by remarks on the role of late Satya Pal Malik, the former governor who passed away in August.

The controversy erupted after NC MLA Bashir Veeri termed Malik’s role in the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 as controversial, with BJP member Sham Lal Sharma demanding the remarks be expunged. Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather asked Veeri to respect the deceased and rejected the expunging request. However, at the conclusion of the obituary references, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Malik must have acted with the belief that he was doing good.

Congress legislative party leader G.A. Mir praised Malik as an outspoken and popular leader. Mir said, ‘He might have benefitted from it (Article 370 abrogation), but he suffered as well. We saw how he had to struggle in his last days to put the truth before the people’. PDP MLA Rafiq Naik said while there may be differences with Malik, ‘we should not speak negatively while paying tributes to the deceased’.

CPI(M) MLA M.Y. Tarigami stressed that paying respects does not preclude learning lessons from a leader’s actions, advocating for constructive criticism within decency. Awami Ittehad Party MLA Sheikh Khursheed also highlighted Malik’s integrity and later efforts for farmers’ welfare.

Asserting that August 5, 2019, was a historic day (when Article 370 was abrogated), BJP's Vikram Randhawa, while referring to Satya Pal Malik, said an ordinary person cannot be made the governor of five states.

In his long political career, Satya Pal Malik served as governor of Bihar, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Goa, and Meghalaya, leaving behind a legacy marked by both administrative responsibility and public service.


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