‘Fed Biryani at PM House’: BJP Targets Manmohan Singh Over Malik’s Affidavit

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday mounted a strong attack on the Congress after Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik made an explosive claim about former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi alleged that Malik had earlier visited the Prime Minister's residence, shared handshakes with Singh, and was even "fed biryani" there.

The remarks came after Malik told the Delhi High Court that Manmohan Singh had thanked him for meeting Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan.

"They (Former PM Manmohan Singh) had handshakes with Yasin Malik... They had been in contact earlier as well. What was their approach? Earlier, he (Malik) used to go to the Prime Minister's residence and was fed biryani. That's why people despise them," Joshi said.

The BJP leader further drew a sharp comparison between the UPA's policy on terrorism and the current NDA government's stance. "Why has terrorist activity decreased in the country today? Because our approach is very clear. We don't tolerate this nonsense, whether it is based in Pakistan or anywhere else. As the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and the Defence Minister have repeatedly said: Ghus ke marenge," Joshi added.

In an affidavit submitted to the Delhi High Court on August 25, Malik made a series of revelations about his interactions with Indian political leaders and intelligence officials. He claimed that in 2006 he travelled to Pakistan at the request of then Intelligence Bureau (IB) special director V.K. Joshi to meet Hafiz Saeed and other militant leaders.

According to Malik, after returning to India he briefed Manmohan Singh about the visit. "He [Manmohan Singh] conveyed his gratitude to me for my efforts, time, patience, and dedication. But as luck would have it, my meeting with Hafiz Saeed and other militant leaders of Pakistan-which was undertaken only on the request of IB official V.K. Joshi-was later portrayed in a different light against me," Malik said in the affidavit.

The affidavit also detailed Malik's claimed engagements with former Prime Ministers, Union ministers, foreign diplomats, senior IB officials, and others connected to the central government's peace process in Jammu and Kashmir.