J&K observes holiday on Dogra king Hari Singh’s birthday; BJP hol

Jammu and Kashmir marked September 23 as an official holiday for Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary, a commemoration added by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration in 2022 and used by the BJP to praise his 1947 accession decision.

BJP functions in Srinagar and Jammu

The BJP on Wednesday celebrated the birth anniversary of Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh and held a series of functions in Srinagar and Jammu on the occasion.

Party leaders praised the Maharaja’s move to accede to India in 1947, placing that decision at the centre of the commemorations.

Speaking on the birth anniversary, BJP leader and J&K Waqf Board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi said, “Maharaja Hari Singh took the wise decision in 1947 by acceding to India. How much have we benefited from the decision. Today we are with India, our country,” said Ms. Andrabi.

Ms. Andrabi also described Mr. Singh’s rule as inclusive, saying, “In his court, there were Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians. Everyone had to get equal rights,” said Ms. Andrabi.

Her remarks reflected the BJP’s wider emphasis on the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India in 1947 during the birth anniversary events.

LG pays homage, cites reforms

J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha paid homage to Maharaja Hari Singh in a message on X.

“Maharaja Hari Singh was an enlightened statesman and progressive thinker who introduced several significant reforms focused on the welfare and empowerment of the people. His principles of public service, equality and inclusive development continue to hold significance and inspire people,” said Mr. Sinha.

There was an official holiday in Jammu and Kashmir on the birth anniversary of the Maharaja on September 23.

The holiday was included in the official list by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration in 2022.

NC objects to dropped Sheikh Abdullah anniversaries

The commemoration also drew attention to the removal of the birth and death anniversaries of National Conference founder Sheikh Abdullah from the official holiday list.

Those anniversaries were dropped from the list, a move that has sparked a strong reaction from the National Conference.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah highlighted the role of party founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, who was dropped from the official holiday list of J&K by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration.

NC legislator Tanvir Sadiq questioned the move to drop Mr. Abdullah’s anniversaries as holidays.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the irony. A leader associated with land reforms that empowered the tiller and transferred land ownership to the poor has his holiday removed, while a holiday commemorating the ruler under whose reign Kashmiris endured repression is celebrated. No hatred. No prejudice. Just history. Facts are facts,” said Mr. Sadiq.

The NC’s criticism centred on the contrast between the continued public holiday for Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary and the removal of Sheikh Abdullah’s anniversaries from the holiday list.

Omar Abdullah invokes Sher-e-Kashmir

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Sheikh Abdullah’s role in J&K’s history was well known.

“The sacrifices made by the NC could not be forgotten. No one can forget the role of Sher-e-Kashmir here,” said Mr. Abdullah.

He said the BJP was attempting to present history differently whenever it disagreed with a particular narrative.

Mr. Abdullah also said to those people who didn’t take part in the fight for freedom, what lesson will they teach us?

“RSS and the ancestral party of BJP, everyone knows their role in the fight for freedom. Everyone knows who apologised and what they did,” he added.

The dispute over the holiday list has therefore become a contest over how Jammu and Kashmir’s political history is officially commemorated, with the BJP honouring Maharaja Hari Singh’s accession decision and the NC objecting to the removal of Sheikh Abdullah’s anniversaries.

Source: The Hindu