NEW DELHI: Former governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik passed away Tuesday morning. He was 79. He died while undergoing treatment for kidney ailments at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi. The body will be taken over to his residence in R K Puram. He will be cremated at the Lodhi Crematorium tomorrow.

Malik started his parliamentary career as an MLA in the 1970s. He has joined several parties in his half-century as a politician. A Jat leader from Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat, he was elected from Chaudhary Charan Singh's Bharatiya Kranti Dal seat. In 1980, the Lok Dal nominated him to the Rajya Sabha. But in 1984, he joined the Congress, which sent him to the Rajya Sabha in 1986.

Malik was close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the relationship turned sour when he stepped forward blaming the union home ministry for the Pulwama terror attack. Malik had said that the martyrdom of 40 CRPF jawans was a security lapse and when he brought the matter to Modi's attention, he was asked to stay silent.