J-K Congress chief distances from MLA Mehraj Malik issue, says focused on flood damage

Kathua/Jammu, Sep 9 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Congress Chief Tariq Hameed Karra on Tuesday distanced himself from the issue of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik's detention under the PSA, stating that he is focused on visiting the flood-hit areas in the region.

Taking a dig at Home Minister Amit Shah, the Congress party leader pointed out that Shah had not visited the flood-affected areas.

Karra said, "He (Shah) did not visit the areas affected by the cloudburst and floods. Neither did he go to Chasoti, Vaishno Devi, or Bagda in Kathua. We expected the home minister to visit the affected areas and take note of the affected people and areas. It is unfortunate." When a reporter asked about the Public Safety Act (PSA) and Malik's detention, Karra responded, "We will talk about this issue later. Once we finish our visits to the flood-affected areas, I will address your question." Former Congress MP and former minister Choudhary Lal Singh, who accompanied Karra, sharply criticised the focus on Malik's detention, saying, "Don't you see the entire Kathua has been destroyed in floods, and you are bringing up Mehraj Malik?" Karra, accompanied by senior Congress leaders, visited flood-hit areas in Kathua and Samba districts, including Kalibadi, Lakhanpur, Vijaypur, and Ramgarh, to assess damages to private property, public infrastructure, crops, and houses.

The J-K Congress chief demanded a judicial probe into the administrative lapses that contributed to the damages, calling for a technical committee of engineers to assist the investigation. "There should be a probe by a judicial commission headed by a sitting High Court judge or a retired High Court judge," Karra said.

He added that the destruction of infrastructure could have been minimised had there been no administrative failures.

Karra also demanded a Rs 5,000 crore relief package for Kathua and called for the government to announce six months of free ration for the affected population. PTI AB HIG HIG