NEW DELHI: In a direct attack on the Modi government, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said the government does not have any right to stay in power when it can’t protect Indian soldiers.

Speaking at a farmers’ congregation at Purandar, in Maharashtra’s Pune district, Mr Pawar referred to former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik’s interview with The Wire’s Karan Thapar.

In the interview, Mr Malik candidly admitted to the mistakes that led to the Pulwama attack of 2019, including instructions by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Agency chief Ajit Doval for him to keep quiet on the matter.

The Congress party has also demanded a white paper on the Pulwama terror attack after the stunning revelations by Mr Malik that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Jawans became easy targets as the Narendra Modi government denied their request to travel by aircraft from Jammu to Srinagar.

A group of farmers’ and khap panchayat leaders from East Punjab and Haryana have reportedly also expressed solidarity with Mr Malik over the revelations he made over the Pulwama attack, and asked him to “carry on”.

The government and the BJP have maintained silence at the revelations made by Mr Malik, a BJP leader who was appointed governor by the Modi government.

They have not responded to the views of former army chief Gen Shankar Roychowdhury, who said: “The primary responsibility behind the loss of lives in Pulwama rests on the government headed by the Prime Minister, who is advised by the national security adviser.”

White Paper

According to The Wire, two military veterans said that in previous terror attacks, such as the Mumbai bomb explosions and the Pathankot attack in 2016, inquiries were held and findings made public. This was essential to establish the truth, fix responsibility, and strengthen India’s national security, they said.

“Therefore, we demand that the government of India publish a White Paper on the Pulwama attacks, describing how the attacks took place, what were the ‘intelligence failures’, why troops were denied aircraft, what security lapses occurred and the role of CRPF, ministry of home affairs, ministry of defence, National Security Adviser and the Prime Minister’s Office,” the Congress demanded.

According to the Indian Express, a number of leaders from farmers’ organisations and khap panchayats expressed support for Malik on Sunday. “Satyapal Malik bravely exposed Pulwama. Farmers are his shield. He must carry on. All farmer organisations are with him,” Balbir Singh Rajewal, a farmers’ leader from East Punjab, said.

“In Kandela village of Jind district, Sarvjatiy Kandela held a meeting under the chairmanship of Om Prakash Kandela to express solidarity with Malik. After the meeting, khap spokesperson Jagat Singh Redhu demanded a probe by a Supreme Court judge into the issues raised by the former governor, claiming Malik “can’t level allegations without facts”,” the newspaper reported.

During the year-long farmers’ agitation against the central government’s now-repealed farm laws, Malik, a BJP leader, had expressed solidarity with the farmers and even claimed to have approached the prime minister on their behalf.

In his speech, Mr Pawar pointed out: “Although many things have happened in the country, the fact of these incidents has not come to the fore. There is an area called Pulwama where 40 soldiers had been killed. The story behind this was brought forward by former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik, a BJP appointee to the position,” he said.

Repeating Malik’s lines, Pawar said that the revelations were of a serious nature.

“At that time (Pulwama attack), the necessary equipment and planes were not provided to soldiers, so they had to face death.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2023