Several media bodies, including the Press Club of India, on Sunday, 24 June, sought strict action against senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Choudhary Lal Singh over his "threatening and intimidating" remarks directed at Kashmiri journalists.
In a joint statement, the Indian Women's Press Corps, Press Club of India, Press Association and Federation of Press Clubs of India said, "We, the undersigned organisations, demand that strict action be taken against the lawmaker for making threatening remarks hinting possible violence at journalists in the valley.
Such statements are nothing short of criminal intimidation and a direct attack on the freedom of the press. They also serve to vitiate the atmosphere and endanger the lives of journalists who work and live precariously in conflict situations.Joint statement
Lal, former minister in the Mehbooba Mufti-led Jammu and Kashmir government, had warned Kashmiri journalists to draw a line between reporting facts and supporting terrorists or face the fate of Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari, who was shot dead by militants.
What Lal Said
In an apparent reference to the murder of Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari, BJP leader Chaudhary Lal Singh on Friday, 22 June, asked the journalists in Kashmir to draw the line and mend their ways, Greater Kashmir reported.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu on Friday, he said Kashmir media has created “a wrong narrative regarding the Kathua rape-and-murder case,” the report added.
They (journalists) must draw a line so that brotherhood in the state remains intact and we also join the journey of development. It’s better to control yourself before the situation gets worse.Chaudhary Lal Singh
Singh had started a campaign across the Jammu region, demanding a CBI probe into the Kathua rape-and-murder case after he was made to resign as forest minister along with industries minister Chander Prakash Ganga in April for participating in a rally in support of the eight men arrested in the case, reported PTI.
‘Mehbooba Govt Was Worst Ever’
Singh said the "unilateral ceasefire" announced in view of the holy month of Ramzan was the "biggest mistake" as it had allowed terrorists to regroup and had dented the “morale of security forces”, PTI reported.
“They took a stand on the ceasefire and talked to the Centre, which unwillingly accepted it in view of the holy month of Ramzan. The chief minister's stand was a big mistake. Not only Jammu bore the brunt of it, militancy got strengthened and spread to every nook and corner of the valley,” he said.
He said that the previous Mehbooba Mufti government was the “worst-ever” dispensation in the state and more damage would have been caused had his party not pulled out of it.
It’s not good to impose governor’s rule in a democratic set up. But when the situation is deteriorating by the day, it’s the only option left. This (PDP-BJP) government was the worst the state has ever seen.Lal Singh Chaudhary
He hailed BJP President Amit Shah for taking the “right albeit late decision”.
‘Mufti Pro-Separatist, Owes Career to Tears Shed at Family Meets’
The ousted minister accused Mufti of being "pro-separatist" and said she started her political career by shedding tears, in an indirect reference to her visits to meet families of slain soldiers.
“They (PDP leaders) are their (separatist) sponges. Her life started with their support,” he alleged, adding that his demand for a CBI probe into the Kathua case was declined.
“I am senior to her in politics and I can say with authority that she will never become chief minister again," he said.
Singh alleged that Mufti’s inefficiency had hurt the “soul of her father Mufti Sayeed”.
Defending the PDP-BJP combine, Singh said, “Mufti Mohammad Sayeed stitched the alliance keeping in mind the mandate given by the people to the two parties. But Mehbooba proved incompetent and failed to do justice to the different regions.”
NC Slams Singh’s Remark, Terms it ‘Outrageous’
Singh's statement drew condemnation from the National Conference.
The party termed his remarks “outrageous” and said they merited immediate cognisance by the state police.
Earlier, NC Vice President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted:
Asking whether BJP leaders had some special knowledge of Bukhari’s assassination, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala condemned the remark, calling it “shocking & reprehensible”.
(With inputs from PTI and Greater Kashmir)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)