New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his stand on Kashmir, saying he has behaved like a "political juvenile".
Addressing his first press conference after the Centre announced its move to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5, Malik asked the Congress to clear its stand on the Kashmir issue.
Asked about Gandhi's statement on alleged violence in Kashmir, the Governor said, "Rahul Gandhi is a man from a prestigious family of the country, but he has behaved like a political juvenile. The outcome of that (statement) is that Pakistan has quoted his statement in its letter to the UN. He should not have done that."
Last week, Gandhi had attacked the government over the Kashmir situation and said that the opposition and the press got a taste of the "draconian administration", referring to an incident where he and other political leaders were prevented from visiting Kashmir Valley.
The journalists accompanying the delegation were also not allowed to go out of the Srinagar airport after their arrival from Delhi.
On Wednesday, the Congress leader hit out at Pakistan for instigating violence in Jammu and Kashmir, with his remarks being seen by the Opposition as a damage control exercise following reports that Pakistan had cited his last week's statement in a petition to the United Nations.
"I should not be saying this but when elections come, their opponents simply need to say that they (Congress party) are sympathisers of Article 370, people will beat them with shoes," he said. Malik said that Gandhi should have spoken on the day when on the floor of Parliament, his party's leader was connecting Kashmir with the UN.
"If Rahul was a leader, he should have stopped him, scolded him and risen to say that this is the stand of the party on Kashmir. He has not cleared the stand on Kashmir so far," he said in an apparent reference to Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
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