Jaipur: Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has batted for Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as a “serious candidate” for the post of Prime Minister.
Malik was talking to reporters in Sikar on Monday. He said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is a serious candidate for the post of Prime Minister.
"If it is in his destiny, he will become one,” added former J&K Governor.
Responding to a question on Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent statement that he was raising questions over the 2019 Pulwama terror attack only after demitting office, Malik said, "It is wrong to state that I raised this issue when I was out of power."
He told reporters that he had raised it on the day of the attack also.
Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in the terrorist attack on a convoy of security vehicles in Pulwama in February 2019.
Malik, who was then governor of Jammu and Kashmir, has recently alleged intelligence failures and that the central government denied aircraft for the movement of security personnel.
Asked about the BJP's prospects in the Lok Sabha elections next year, he said, "I wish them well, but in politics and elections, no one knows what will happen. The current situation is difficult for them, they will have to do some things."
Former J&K Governor claimed that Prime Minister Modi's silence on the Adani issue will harm him. The PM should also speak on the Pulwama issue, he added.
In the context of Rajasthan where assembly elections are due later this year, Malik said that if the BJP projects Vasundhara Raje as its chief minister candidate, its chances of victory may increase. (with Agency inputs)
