AAP leader Mehraj Malik’s remark allegedly linking Hindus to liquor consumption triggered protests across Jammu, with organisations demanding an apology.
Addressing reporters outside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Thursday, Malik said, “They (Hindus) will not close down liquor shops because they drink during festivals and marriages too. They are addicted to it.”
Groups including the Dogra Front, Shiv Sena, VHP, Bajrang Dal, and other social organisations staged demonstrations at multiple locations.
“He has hurt the feelings of crores of Hindus. Are we addicts, as he said? It is shameful that he showed such hatred against Hindus. He should apologise,” Dogra Front Shiv Sena president Ashok Gupta told reporters.
In Kathua, BJP workers took out a protest march, burnt Malik’s effigy, and raised slogans against him and Arvind Kejriwal.
“We will not tolerate his anti-Hindu behaviour. He should apologise,” a BJP leader said.
Similar protests were held by Sanatan Dharam Sabha and Hindu Sangathan in Kishtwar and Udhampur, demanding an apology.
While discussing demands for grants in the assembly, Malik’s remarks sparked protests and a heated confrontation with BJP members.
However, Speaker Mubarak Gul later expunged his comments.
Following the outrage, Malik retracted his statement, saying, “Everyone, including Hindus and Muslims, drinks liquor, some openly and some behind curtains. If my remarks have disturbed anyone, I apologise. I have no intention of hurting anyone’s feelings.”
Who is Mehraj Malik, AAP’s only MLA in J&K?
Mehraj Malik is the lone AAP MLA in Jammu and Kashmir, having won the Doda assembly seat in last year’s elections. His victory marked the Aam Aadmi Party’s entry into the region’s legislative assembly, defeating BJP’s Gajay Singh Rana.
He joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2013 and was elected as a District Development Council (DDC) member from Kahara in 2020. On October 17, 2022, the party appointed him as co-chairman of its state coordination committee in Jammu and Kashmir.
In the 2024 general elections, he contested as an independent candidate from the Udhampur-Kathua Lok Sabha seat, where Union minister Dr. Jitendra Singh emerged victorious. Malik finished fourth, securing 9,082 votes.
With PTI inputs
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