BJP insulted Maharja Hari Singh by distorting erstwhile state’s map, finishing his laws to safeguard land, jobs
NAVNEET DUBEY
Jammu: Challenging BJP to retrieve Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) alongside part of the Union Territory (UT) under illegal occupation of China, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said they would be grateful to the BJP-led government.
He came down heavily on the BJP leaders for accusing the National Conference (NC) of insulting Jammu and Kashmir’s last ruler Maharaja Hari Singh and challenged them to give just one instance when the ruling party or any other Kashmir-based party insulted the Dogra ruler.
“The foreign minister (S Jaishankar) is saying that we will get back the part of J&K which is under the occupation of Pakistan. Who has stopped them? Have we ever said that do not get it back?” the chief minister said, winding up the discussion on motion of thanks to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s address in the Assembly here.
Jaishankar, speaking during a session at the Chatham House think-tank in London on Wednesday, said the Kashmir dispute would be solved after the “return of the stolen part of Kashmir which is under illegal Pakistani occupation”.
Referring to the speech of BJP members in the House, he said the Congress was targeted for leaving Haji Peer in the Uri sector to Pakistan. “During the Kargil war, there was an opportunity to get back PoK because it was Pakistan which attacked us. If you were so willing, you would have brought back that part but what stopped you? When you look at the map of Jammu and Kashmir, one part is also in China but you do not talk about it,” he said.
He said when the BJP-led central government brings back PoK, they should also bring that part of J&K which is presently in China and “we will be grateful to you”.
Omar also accused BJP of surrendering the heritage of Maharaja Hari Singh by dividing the state into two parts and surrendering land and job rights which were safeguarded by the last ruler.
” You(BJP) divided the Maharaja’s state into two and further relegated it into two union territories, done away with state subject laws which guaranteed land and job rights to people of Jammu and Kashmir, and you didn’t keep anything of Maharaja”, he said and added, “You accuse us of disrespecting the Maharaja. But tell who amongst us has spoken and done anything which was against the legacy of Maharaja whether it was Sheikh Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah or PDP government. We never changed the name of any institution. SMHS is there, Pratap Park is there, SMGS is there, and so are other places which represent the Maharaja’s legacy,” Abdullah said. “You have insulted Maharaja and not us,” he added.
He said Himachal Pradesh is better placed because one has to give 70 per cent of jobs to the local population if someone sets up an industry or a hotel in the hilly state.
“From day one, the people of Kargil were against this decision. The Buddhists of Ladakh who distributed sweets are today of the opinion that they were better placed with J&K. They walked from Leh to Delhi to get back their rights,” he said. Abdullah said in his last tenure as chief minister, he was also planning to lower the number of holidays and December 5 was also on his mind.
