In a video that has gone viral, Raina is seen and heard telling a group of BJP activists “we” did not want the previous governor NN Vohra to continue in office
Jammu and Kashmir BJP Chief Ravinder Raina (Photo: Twitter)
Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina has triggered a controversy by saying the new Governor, Satya Pal Malik, is “our own man”.
In a video that has gone viral, Raina is seen and heard telling a group of BJP activists “we” did not want the previous governor NN Vohra to continue in office.
Referring to Malik, Raina is heard describing him as “our own man”.
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Raina’s remark has come even as Malik, who is the first-ever politician Governor of J&K, during his media interactions in New Delhi earlier this week stressed that he had not come to J&K with an agenda and would take all stakeholders in confidence. Malik, before becoming Governor of Bihar, was a vice-president of the BJP at the national level.
READ | J-K Governor Satya Pal Malik reverses orders of predecessor NN Vohra
Reacting to Raina’s claim, former PDP Minister Naeem Akhtar sought a clarification. Akhtar tweeted: “If Ravinder Raina can appoint a governor, you can only sympathise with J&K. @ PMOIndia @rajnathsingh @jandkgovernor must clarify. @rashtrapatibhvn”.
Raina is considered an outspoken MLA and he represents the Naushera assembly constituency located on the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). He had some time back assaulted an independent MLA, Engineer Rashid, for hosting a beef party in the Srinagar MLA hostel.
Vohra, who had completed two terms as Governor of J&K, had reportedly developed differences with the centre and the BJP leadership on the issue of handling the Kashmir situation and also installing a new government after the fall of the PDP-BJP government.
A section of the BJP was reported to be impatient to form a government with the support of the PDP rebels and some other MLAs.
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