At the peak of the farmer’s agitation, Malik while referring to Sikh farmers protesting against the laws, said, “The Sikh community does not back down and forget things even after 300 years.”Malik, who hails from Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh, was a once a close associate of former Prime Ministers Charan Singh and V P Singh. He served as the Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Tourism and has held many important other positions in Central and state governments.He was also a Rajya Sabha MP for two terms and a Lok Sabha MP from 1989 to 1990. Malik was also a Member of Uttar Pradesh Assembly from 1974 to 1977.He joined the BJP before the 2014 general elections, but would always say that he was not associated with the RSS.When Malik was appointed the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, at a time when the state was under President’s rule following the resignation of the Mehbooba Mufti government, it surprised people in many quarters. Previously, he was the Governor of Bihar. Malik replaced bureaucrat N N Vohra, who served as J&K Governor for more than a decade. In the process Malik became the first politician to be appointed as the Governor of the troubled state.But Malik was transferred to Goa in 2019, replacing Mridula Sinha, ahead of Jammu & Kashmir’s bifurcation into two Union Territories to be directly administered by the Central government. A Lt Governor, the executive head of a UT, is several spots lower than a Governor according to the warrant of precedence, the document which charts the hierarchy of dignitaries and public servants and their status. However, Malik was transferred to Meghalaya less than a year later. Differences of opinion with Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant marked Malik’s tenure in the state. In July, 2021 Malik summoned Sawant to discuss the government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis. When Sawant sought to downplay the meeting, Malik accused the chief minister of putting words in his mouth.
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