Delhi: The newly appointed Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik, has said that his protocol will not stop him from meeting political leaders and dialogue at peoples level lays foundation for high level political dialogue.

“The dialogue at the level of the people is the most fundamental thing. It forms the basic foundation of any further dialogue, including high level political dialogue, Malik, told The Hindu after meeting with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I will be inviting leaders of political parties to meet with me and if anyone feels uncomfortable to come to me, I will go to them. Protocol will not stop me,” Malik said, adding that his his brief was to “reach out to the people of the State, to listen to them and after listening, do whatever is in their interests.”

On Monday BJP’s Ram Madhav wrote in Indian Express that Malik a lawyer by education and a politician with vast parliamentary experience of around four decades, including as a minister in the VP Singh cabinet, handling the parliamentary affairs and tourism portfolios, ‘is the suitable man for the job’ of being Governor of Jammu and kashmir.

“The new governor being a politician can be an effective interlocutor for initiating the dialogue process,” Madhav wrote.

“I may be a politician appointed as governor, but I’m not in Jammu and Kashmir for politicking,” Malik told the hindu.