Ex-Guv Satyapal Malik justifies decision to dissolve J&K assembly

Srinagar, Jan 11: Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Satyapal Malik has once again justified his controversial decision of dissolving the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on November 21, 2018, saying it was done to prevent “horse-trading”.

Malik who expressed these remarks in an interview with senior Supreme Court lawyer and Raj Sabha member, Kapil Sibal's YouTube channel "Dil Se" said the decision to dissolve the assembly was his own and not on the diktats of the BJP government.

The former Governor added, "My own assessment is that they (BJP) wanted that I should invite Sajad Lone to form the government. I asked Lone. He didn't have even six MLAs. But he said that if you let me take over, I can prove the majority in a week. I sensed there would be a major horse-trading if I allowed that. I told him, this is not my job and I will not do it".

Malik reiterated that his decision to dissolve the assembly was an attempt to stop any horse-trading. Though he admitted that Mehbooba Mufti had the majority, he said that "Several parties were keen that the assembly should be dissolved because they feared that their party members would be weaned away in an attempt to horse-trading. There was increasing threat ... which is why I dissolved the assembly".

On Mehbooba Mufti's claim on November 21, 2018, hours before the dissolution, that they have the numbers to form the government, Malik said that the People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader did not follow the due process.

"Mehbooba had the majority but she faltered in the procedure to stake claim for government formation. They are not made on Twitter. She called for no meeting, there was no proposal, there was no formal support from Farooq Abdullah. Farooq was in Delhi and he said that they would take a call on the matter the following day. The support that her party had was not explicit and formalized. She did not follow the proper norms for staking claim to government formation," Malik continued.

When asked by the interviewer that Governor has no powers to dissolve the assembly and elected members still had time to try and form government, Malik was silent about the legality of the matter.