The Centre is in a stew over the recent fiasco regarding government formation in Jammu and Kashmir. Well-informed sources say there has been much criticism within the government, even at the highest level, of the way things have been handled.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh and some in the national security establishment are said to be most displeased. Governor Satya Pal Malik, who is in the eye of the storm, even said on Wednesday, 28 November, that he might be transferred. If that indeed happens, it would be the result of his frequent public statements. Malik’s stating that the Centre wanted him to install Sajjad Lone as the chief minister, has been damaging to both Lone and those in charge at the Centre.