'Had I looked to Delhi, I would have had to install Lone-led govt'

Jammu: In remarks that can embarrass the Centre, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has said had he looked to Delhi, he would have had to install a government led by Sajad Lone, and history would have remembered him as a "dishonest man".

Malik had abruptly dissolved the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly last week after the PDP staked claim to form a government with the backing of rival NC and the Congress. This was followed by another bid from the two-member People's Conference led by Lone which claimed the support of the BJP and 18 legislators from other parties.

During a pre-convocation academic conclave of ITM University in Gwalior on Saturday, he said,"Delhi ki taraf dekhta toh muje Lone ki sarkar banana padhti aur mein ithihas mein ek bayiman aadmi ke tor pe jata...(Had I looked to Delhi, I would have had to install a government led by Lone, and history would have remembered me as a dishonest man)."

"Therefore, I ended up the matter. Whosoever wants to scold, can do so now but I am convinced that whatever I did, was right," he said in his address after noted journalist Ravish Kumar had pointed out in his speech about the faulty fax machine.

The governor also took a dig at the Congress, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference and said that if they were so keen on forming the government, they could have come to Jammu a day earlier and met him.

"It was an Eid holiday, and this is an auspicious day. Did they expect the governor to stand by the fax machine and wait for their fax," Malik said.