Agencies
Jammu December 20:
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik slammed a section of India’s upper class for their lack of sensitivity and said that millionaires and the country’s rich, who are not involved in any kind of charitable work or philanthropy are, for him, “sade se aalu (rotten potatoes)”. Malik was addressing a function of J&K’s Sainik Welfare Society in which he targeted the wealthier politicians and bureaucrats in Kashmir and criticised them for not contributing to the society through charities.
A section of the rich in India do not contribute to charity, so they are like rotten potatoes for me, the J&K Governor said. “Even in Kashmir many politicians and bureaucrats are millionaires but sorry to say, they have little sensitivity for society,” news agency PTI reported quoting the governor as saying.
Quoting an anonymous report and without naming anyone, Malik further said, “When a journalist posed a question to the country’s wealthiest man, who spent Rs 700 crore on the marriage of his daughter, whether he undertakes any charity, he said he does not do charity but adds to the country’s economy.”
He then went on to say that with Rs 700 crore, 700 big schools could have been built in the state and 7,000 widows of slain soldiers could have brought up their children. “But they will not (do charity). The sensitivity that should be in this (upper class) section of the society is not there,” the Governor said.
Malik also heaped praise on the martyred soldiers, asked people to visit the ‘pious’ places where jawans laid down their lives in battle as they go on pilgrimage.
Let us boost the morale of our armed forces and help them and remember them, Malik added.
