People Had False Impression Article 370 Empowered Them’: J-K Governor

Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik spoke to HT?about the nullification of Article 370, the restrictions on movement and communications, the arrest of political leaders, and what lies ahead for the region. Edited excerpts: In the run-up to the nullification of Article 370, you asked people not to pay heed to rumors and assured them that nothing would change. People now say you misled them.

I said what was right. I cannot be revealing official secrets. I have sworn secrecy under the Constitution. People should have known. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and [home minister] Amit Shah made the revocation of Article 370 an election issue and it was also listed in their manifesto. The government took the democratic route and it had the mandate to do it. It is not as if Modiji took a piece of paper out of his pocket. It was brought to Parliament and passed by both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. My concern was the law-and-order situation.