Hari Singh responsible for accession; Nehru & Sheikh Abdullah guilty of delay

Jammu Kashmir is with India in spite of, not because of Sheikh Abdullah

JAMMU: Former MLC & JK UT spokesperson of BJP Girdhari Lal Raina has termed Dr. Farooq Abdullah’s statement regarding accession of Jammu Kashmir with rest of India as distortion of history and misrepresentation of facts. Sheikh Abdullah was nobody and had no authority to decide about accession in 1947, he asserted.

 The National Conference and Sheikh Mohd Abdullah were not with Maharaja Hari Singh. On the contrary they had launched the Quit Kashmir movement in May 1946 against the then ruler of the princely state, GL Raina recalled. The State administration arrested and charged Sheikh Abdullah with sedition. Even Jawaharlal Nehru attempted to go to Kashmir in support of Abdullah but was forced to return back, Raina added further.

Former MLC stressed that the JL Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah duo created as many hurdles as possible for a smooth accession process. The National Conference boycotted Elections held for the State’s legislative assembly in January 1947.Even The British Resident in Kashmir observed the discomfort of Maharaja Hari Singh because of “antagonism’ displayed by a section of Congress Party.

Infact Maharaja expressed fears of ill-treatment at the hands of Congressmen to Punjab businessman Rai Bahadur Gopal Das who relayed this to Vallabhbhai Patel, GL Raina specified.

He further added that in July 1947 Vallabhbhai Patel wrote to the Maharaja to allay his fears of ill-will from the Indian National Congress. Patel encouraged Maharaja to visit Delhi for discussions. Further delay in accession was again caused by insistence of JL Nehru to include Sheikh Abdullah into administration. Historic fact is that Jammu and Kashmir joined the Indian Union in spite of, not because of Sheikh Abdullah, GL Raina stressed.

Similarly Farooq Abdullah is misleading on the issue of “Jammu & Kashmir resettlement law 1982” that intended to Grant of Permit for Resettlement in (or Permanent Return to) the State in terms of permanent residents and their descendants who had migrated to Pakistan between March 1, 1947 and May 14, 1954.

It was a pure communal and subversive piece of legislation by the then government and National Conference party that denied basic human rights to Valmikis , Gorkhas and West Pakistan refugees who were in Jammu Kashmir for decades, Raina reminded.

GL Raina cautioned people against leaders and political parties distorting history and trying to communalise the situation by their utterances and actions.