Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. JAMMU: Bharatiya Janata Party launched a scathing attack on the National Conference (NC) leadership and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accusing them of deliberately dishonouring the legacy of Maharaja Hari Singh by ignoring his birth anniversary celebrations.
Addressing a joint press conference at party headquarters, BJP J&K spokespersons Dr. Abhijeet Jasrotia, Dr Tahir Chowdhary and Zorawar Singh Jamwal, accused the NC leadership of showing “complete disregard” to the memory of the last Dogra ruler whose decision to accede Jammu and Kashmir to India ensured the region’s future as part of the Union.
Dr. Abhijeet Jasrotia said it was shameful that while people across Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh – Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and others alike – celebrated the Maharaja’s birth anniversary with joy, neither the Chief Minister nor NC leaders paid any meaningful tribute.
“The Maharaja’s stature is not dependent on a tweet. His legacy is far bigger than the tokenism shown by two Jammu ministers of the present government. Their silence shows they are drenched in the same divisive colours as the NC,” Jasrotia said.
He accused NC of hypocrisy, saying the party invoked Maharaja Hari Singh only during elections but ignored him when it came to showing genuine respect. “Had the Maharaja not acceded J&K to India, today we would be standing in long queues for flour in Pakistan or living in fear for the safety of our daughters,” he remarked.
He further alleged that NC founder Sheikh Abdullah’s rise was possible only because Maharaja Hari Singh had supported his education. “If the Maharaja had not granted him a stipend, nobody would have known former CM Sheikh Abdullah or his descendants today,” Jasrotia added.
Dr. Abhijeet recalled how Maharaja Hari Singh in 1932, during the Round Table Conference in London, boldly told the British to quit India, long before other leaders had taken such a stand. It was this courage that cost Maharaja dearly, but it also proved his stature as a nationalist much ahead of his time.
Dr. Tahir Chowdhary underlined that Maharaja Hari Singh was a true secular ruler who treated all communities with respect. He said that Maharaja Hari Singh embraced his subjects as his own family, without fear or prejudice.
Dr. Tahir argued that had it not been for the Maharaja’s decision to join India in 1947, “people like Omar Abdullah today would be selling kebabs in Lahore and I would not be a doctor.”
Zorawar Singh Jamwal said it was deeply ironic that while the people of Jammu and Kashmir observed the celebrations on the holiday, the Omar Abdullah-led government held a Cabinet meeting on September 23.
“What emergency was there that required a Cabinet meeting on that day? If they really respected Maharaja Hari Singh, they should have begun their meeting with a tribute to him. This is a deliberate attempt to downgrade his contribution,” Jamwal charged.
He highlighted the Maharaja’s progressive initiatives, including establishing the Praja Sabha, and asked NC leaders why they continued to politicise his legacy. He warned Omar Abdullah not to repeat the “disrespect” on October 26, the Accession Day.
The BJP leaders accused the NC and Congress of conspiring against the Maharaja, forcing him into exile, and erasing his contributions from history. They urged the youth of J&K to learn the real history of Maharaja Hari Singh and reject the “vote-bank politics” of NC.
