JAMMU: BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh Friday said that Malvinder Mali quitting as an adviser of Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu was a “poor eyewash” enacted by the opposition party.
He said Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Sidhu need to answer on the statements made by Mali.
Chugh said Sidhu has not distanced himself from any of Mali’s public statements showing Sidhu agreed with whatever Mali said “against the interest of the nation”.
Chugh said the Congress’ “pro-Pakistan” stance has been jeopardising the nation’s fight against the ISI-sponsored disruptive and separatist forces.
Under fire for his controversial comments on Kashmir, Mali Friday quit as the adviser to Sidhu.
However, Mali did not term it as a “resignation”.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Mali said, “I humbly submit that I withdraw my consent given for tendering suggestions to Navjot Singh Sidhu”.
Mali, in another Facebook post, claimed that the question of his resignation does not arise as he never accepted the post.
Sidhu on August 11 had appointed Mali, a former government teacher and political analyst, and Pyare Lal Garg, a former registrar of Baba Farid University of Health and Sciences, as his advisers.
In a recent social media post, Mali had waded into the issue of revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
He had reportedly said if Kashmir was a part of India, then what was the need to have Articles 370 and 35A.
He had also said, “Kashmir is a country of Kashmiri people.” (PTI)