Under fire for his controversial comments on Kashmir, Malvinder Singh Mali on Friday quit as adviser to Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.
"I withdraw my consent given for tendering suggestions to Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu," wrote Malwinder Singh Mali while quitting as an advisor to Sidhu.
However, Mali did not term it as a "resignation". In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Mali said, "I humbly submit that I withdraw my consent given for tendering suggestions to Navjot Singh Sidhu".
Mali, in another Facebook post, claimed that the question of his resignation does not arise as he never accepted the post, reported PTI. "Neither accepted any post, nor resigned from any post," Mali said in a post in Punjabi, reported PTI.
This comes after AICC in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat asked Navjot Singh Sidhu to remove his controversial advisers Pyare Lal Garg and Malwinder Singh Mali.
Sidhu is facing fire over controversial remarks by his two advisors -- Malvinder Singh Mali and Pyare Lal Garg -- on Pakistan and Kashmir.
Sidhu on August 11 had appointed Mali, a former government teacher and political analyst, and Garg, a former registrar of Baba Farid University of Health and Sciences, as his advisers to seek their "wise counsel."
In a recent social media post, Mali had waded into the issue of revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
He had reportedly said if Kashmir was a part of India, then what was the need to have Articles 370 and 35A. He had also said, "Kashmir is a country of Kashmiri people." Garg had reportedly questioned the chief minister's criticism of Pakistan.
(With inputs from Agencies)
