Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 25: Snubbing those who challege the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with Union of India noted Supreme Court Lawyer and National Spokesperson, BJP Meenakshi Lekhi today said that the issue is settled once for all and it is not debatable.
Speaking at a one-day seminar organized by Universal Foundation here, today on the topic Accession of J&K with Union of India and its martyrs, she said the debate is automatically over while going through the Article 3, Article 5 and Article 147 of J&K Constitution.
She said it was accession in the beginning but was later turned into a complete merger through Constitution.
Ms Lekhi said those who have doubts about the merger of J&K State with Union of India should go through the Article 3, 5 and 147 of J&K Constitution.
While quoting the Article 3 & 5 of J&K Constitution she said as per these articles the J&K is and shall remain permanent part of India so there is no further debate over the issue.
She said further while going through the Article 147 of the same Constitution which deals with amendments in the Constitution it further says that Article 3 & 5 of J&K Constitution can’t be amended. Hence entire debate over the merger is over, she added.
She said there was no problem like this in other princely States of India which joined the Indian Union like Hyderabad, Gwaliar etc after partition. But unfortunately the problem in J&K was due to one leader whose family is constantly running the State affairs in one way or the other, she added.
Expressing her concern over the constant firing over LoC, she questioned that why Pakistan is violating the cease fire agreement and is engaged in border incursions. Alleging that some international agents for their vested are responsible for the same, she said these agents want to have control over the entire region and it is the people of the State whether Hindus or Muslims who have to suffer due to misadventures of Pakistan.
She said the division of Bengal on communal lines was strongly resisted by the people and both Muslims and Hindus had no objection in reciting Vande Matram at that time. But what happened after a decade of it that India and Pakistan were divided over communal liens and who were the forces responsible for the same, she asked?
Expressing concern over the recent statements from floor of the State Assembly challenging the merger of State with Union of India, she said those legislators who make such statements will lose their membership of the House as the statements are unlawful as per the Constitution and every member is on oath to protect the national integrity and unity of the country.
She said the Speaker of the Assembly if approached and produced the context of the speech of the member making such statement he is bound to disqualify the member making such a statement under the law.
Prof Shalinder Singh Head of Department of History University of Jammu however justified the Maharaja’s action in delaying the accession with India and said that he had certain compulsions. He did not agree with those who accuse Maharaja for the problem saying that there were certain conditions in the State at that time under which Maharaja had to delay the decision of acceding to India in the first instance.
He said why Maharaja was in the first instance hesitant in acceding both to India or Pakistan was because of geographical and historical reasons. He said the J&K was not the part of British India nor was it a part of Britishers partition plan but it was a Muslim majority State. But at last Maharaja signed the document of accession with India and there is no doubt in that.
While speaking on the occasion Lt Gen (retd) Anoop Singh said “Accession Day is that makes us hold our heads high and pay rich tributes to the martyrs who led from the front and upheld the territorial integrity of Indian nation and devastated the nefarious designs of Pakistan who invaded the State with its regular forces in guise of tribals’’.
Farooq Khan ex DIG said the situation on the borders fraught with danger as to abet the infiltration process from across the border the architects of terrorism are leaving no stone unturned to create dangerous situation in the State. It is a coincidence that the Pakistan stand is same that was in 1947, it created the same situation on borders which it had created at the time of the tribal raid on J&K, he added.
Dr Ajay Chrungoo chairman Panun Kashmir termed the accession Day the day of national honour. He said the war unleashed by Pakistan upon India to wrest Jammu and Kashmir is still going on. It was only due to the unparalleled gallantry of Indian armed forces that the Northern frontier of India saved in J&K, he added.
Harbans Singh termed Maharaja Hari Singh most mis understood figure of history and said he was a great patriot.
Daneshwar Singh Jamwal president Universal Foundation also spoke on the occasion while the progamme was compared by Mahesh Kaul.
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