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| Satya Pal Malik replaces N N Vohra as Governor of Jammu & Kashmir | | Views about Article 35-A cost Vohra dearly | |  Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Aug 21: In a significant development the Government of India today made sweeping changes at the top most level with eight Governors being either appointed or transferred. Such a change has also taken place in Jammu & Kashmir.
Jammu & Kashmir Governor, Narendra Nath Vohra has been removed from his post and his place has been taken by Satya Pal Malik. Malik is presently discharging his duties as Governor of Bihar. He is likely to assume office as Jammu & Kashmir Governor in the next few days.
According to an order issued by President, Ram Nath Kovind, Lal Ji Tandon would be new Governor of Bihar. Satyadev Narayan Arya has been posted as new Governor of Haryana while as Baby Rani Maurya would be the new Governor of Uttarakhand. Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik is transferred and posted as Governor of Jammu & Kashmir.
The order said that Ganga Prasad, Governor of Meghalaya is transferred and appointed as Governor of Sikkim. Tathagata Roy, Governor of Tripura is transferred and appointed as Governor of Meghalaya. Kaptan Singh Solanki, Governor of Haryana is transferred and appointed as Governor of Tripura.
The placement of Malik as Governor of the state comes close on the heels of the hearing of the case pertaining to Article 35-A of Constitution of India. Article 35-A pertains to the state subject laws of Jammu & Kashmir. It bars outsiders to purchase property in the state and deprives woman of Jammu & Kashmir share in the ancestral property if they marry outside the state.
Although, the hearing of the case is listed for any day during the week starting from August 27 there are maximum chances that it would be taken on the very first day of the week. The Article has been challenged in the highest court of the country with the petitioners saying that no special treatment should be given to residents of Jammu & Kashmir.
The appointment of a new Governor in the state was on cards more so after Vohra had asked the Government of India to go soft on Article 35-A. He had in fact said that the situation would go out of hand in Kashmir if the Article 35-A is abrogated. His views about the Article 35-A did not go well with the union Home Ministry and the government wanted to replace sooner than later.
Since names of some people were doing rounds in this regard, appointment of Malik as Governor is no less than a surprise. He was the member of Lok Sabha and represented Aligarh constituency from 1989 to 1991. He was member of Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh during 1980-86 and 1986-1992. He was also member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly during 1974-77.
Vohra had assumed charge of Governor, Jammu & Kashmir in June 2008 and it was during his early days that the state was put under Governor's Rule after Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) withdrew support to its coalition partner Congress in July 2008. During Vohra's tenure the state witnessed four spells of Governor's Rule with the latest beginning on June 20, 2018.
Vohra had voiced concern over the handling of law & order situation by National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party during the summer protests in 2010 and 2016. He took on the people at helm on both the occasions and asked them to minimize the civilian casualties. While Omar Abdullah was the chief minister in 2010, Mehbooba Mufti was at the helm in 2016.
More than 220 civilians mostly youth were killed during the summer agitation in these two years. He had expressed his wish to retire last year but was asked by the government to continue for some more time. He had appointed three advisors Bharat Bhushan Vyas, Khurshid Ahmad Ganai and K Vijay Kumar to run the affairs of the state. |
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