After the CBI issued a notice summoning Satya Pal Malik, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the former Jammu and Kashmir governor has shown great courage in these "times of fear" and the entire country is with him.
The CBI has asked Malik to answer certain queries in connection with an alleged insurance scam in the union territory, officials said. In his tweet, Malik said, "I have exposed the sins of some people by speaking the truth. Maybe that's why the call has come. I am the son of a farmer, I will not panic. I stand by the truth. #CBI."
The move comes barely a week after Malik's interview to Karan Thappar for "The Wire", in which he made critical remarks about the BJP-led Centre, especially regarding its handling of Jammu and Kashmir where he served as the last governor before the erstwhile state was bifurcated into Union territories.
Responding to a Twitter post by Malik, Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi, "The entire country is with you. You have shown great courage in these times of fear, sir. He is a coward, hiding behind CBI. Whenever there was a crisis in this great country, people like you faced it with courage."
"He is illiterate, corrupt and a traitor. He cannot compete with you. You go ahead, sir. Proud of you," the AAP national convenor said, without taking any names.
Sitaram Yechury from CPI said, "This is a brazen assault on Indian democracy. Instead of answering the issues raised by Satya Pal Malik in the supreme interest of our national security and governance, the Modi govt has predictably unleashed the CBI."
The Congress too said this was bound to happen ever since the former governor "exposed" the "power hungry nature" of the Modi government. "After all, PM Modi could not help it. Satyapal Malik ji exposed him before the country. Now CBI has called Malik ji. This was bound to happen," the Congress said on Twitter.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal also said, "Since the day Sh. Satyapal Malik exposed the corrupt, incompetent and power hungry nature of the Modi government, it was clear that he will be targeted by the PM's lapdog agencies."
"Modi ji, these agencies are meant to catch actual criminals, not to settle your political scores," Venugopal said in a tweet.
Malik had claimed that he was offered a Rs 300-crore bribe for clearing two files during his tenure as the Jammu and Kashmir governor between August 23, 2018 and October 30, 2019. This is the second time in seven months that Malik, who completed his terms as the governor of various states, will be questioned by the CBI.
(With inputs from PTI)
