SRINAGAR, AUGUST 26: Governor Satya Pal Malik today said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has turned my invitation to visit Jammu and Kashmir as a non-ending issue.
In a statement, he said “I want to make it clear that when I had invited Rahul Gandhi to visit Jammu and Kashmir, my intention was that he will refrain from making baseless statements about Kashmir by having the first hand appraisal of the situation.
However Rahul Gandhi played politics with my invitation and he arrived here along with a host of opposition leaders. Besides, he also said that he will meet all the detained leaders and interact with media persons.
When Rahul Gandhi played such kind of politics with my invitation I withdrew my invitation. And it was now prerogative of the administration to decide whether Rahul Gandhi should visit Kashmir or not. The Administration made it clear beforehand that at a time when we are making all out efforts to maintain peace in the valley no politician should come to make a breach, rather help in maintaining peace.
He said Rahul Gandhi should understand that the visit would have created problems for the people. Rahul Gandhi tried to create obstacles in the peace process. When he was not allowed to do so, Rahul on his return to New Delhi made false statements about the situation in Kashmir.
I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that such statements made by him are being used by Pakistan against India. He should understand that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is fragile and it is the issue of national interest. His statements harm the national interest.
I want to urge him that he should keep national interest as top priority rather than using the sensitive issue for his cheap politics,” he said in his statement.