Congress leader P Chidambaram hit out at Jammu and Kashmir governor after Satya Pal Malik extended a special invitation to Rahul Gandhi, says invite to Rahul Gandhi not sincere, but tool of propaganda: Chidambaram

Inviting Rahul Gandhi to visit Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir governor had said he will send a special plane for the Congress leader. Congress leader P Chidambaram has now targeted Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik over his invitation to Rahul Gandhi.

The Jammu and Kashmir governor had invited Rahul Gandhi to the Kashmir Valley to observe the ground situation after the governor office issued a statement rebuking Rahul Gandhi for spreading "fake news" regarding the situation in Kashmir.

Hitting out at Jammu and Kashmir governor, former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday claimed that Governor Satya Pal Malik's invitation to Rahul Gandhi was "never sincere".

"J&K Governor's invitation to Rahul Gandhi was never a sincere invitation. It was a tool of propaganda," Chidambaram wrote on Twitter.

Few hours before the statement from the governor's office, Rahul Gandhi had accepted his offer to visit the Valley and asked the governor to ensure freedom to travel and meet the Kashmiris and mainstream leaders.

"Dear Governor Malik, A delegation of opposition leaders & I will take you up on your gracious invitation to visit J&K and Ladakh. We won't need an aircraft but please ensure us the freedom to travel & meet the people, mainstream leaders and our soldiers stationed over there," former Congress President Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter.

However, on the same day, J&K Raj Bhavan accused Rahul Gandhi of trying to politicise the situation by proposing the visit of a group of Opposition leaders to the state.

"Rahul Gandhi is politicising the matter by seeking to bring a delegation of Opposition leaders to create further unrest and problems for the common people. As he has put forth many conditions for J&K, the Governor is referring the case to the local police and administration to examine the request further," the statement said.

Congress leader P Chidambaram came out in Rahul Gandhi's defence and said, "To say that Rahul Gandhi put conditions is rubbish. Rahul Gandhi asked for freedom to meet everyone, including soldiers. How is that putting conditions?"

Meanwhile, Chidambaram is in the eye of the controversy for his comment on Article 370. Former Union minister on Sunday lambasted the BJP for the abrogation of Article 370, saying the saffron party would not have "snatched away" the special status had Jammu and Kashmir been a Hindu-dominated state.

"Today, Jammu and Kashmir has been turned into a municipality...There are special provisions for other states under Article 371, why only J and K...This is because of religious fanaticism. If J&K was a Hindu dominated state, BJP would not have done this. They did it only because the region is dominated by Muslims," the former union minister alleged.

On Rahul Gandhi's demand for J&K visit, Chadambaram asked, "Can a visitor not ask for freedom to meet different sections of the people and to enquire about the welfare of the soldiers?"