‘Protagonists of 370 turned out its abusers’
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 30: Terming the partition the gravest blunders of 20th century, Union Minister in PMO with independent charge of Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh today accused Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah of dividing India for satisfying their personal egos.
He also criticized the former Chief Minister of J&K, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah saying that those who were the main protagonists of Article 370 later turned out to be its greatest abusers.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that the partition of India was gravest blunder in the recent history of world and a self-styled plan of a few ambitious individuals who allowed themselves to be played in the hands of a divisive design of the British rulers.
While delivering “Brigadier Rajinder Singh Memorial Public Lecture” on “Accession of J&K” organised by the Department of Defence & Strategic Studies in the University of Jammu, Dr Jitendra Singh said the former Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru after partition of the country continued to do one blunder after another. Click here to watch video
He said to please Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, Nehru antagonized the then Maharaja Hari Singh and dilly delayed Accession just to keep Sheikh in good humor.
He said while 562 princely States of India were dealt by the then Home Minister Sardar Patel who did not see eye to eye on many issues with Nehru and all these States merged with Indian Union smoothly, the J&K being the only Princely State which was dealt by Nehru and he denied his Home Minister the prerogative of dealing with J&K. “Had Patel been allowed to deal with J&K the history of Sub Continent would have been altogether different,” he asserted.
The Union Minister while paying glowing tributes to Brig Rajinder Singh said this followed the Kabailis invasion and Brig fought valiantly to defeat their designs and after the Indian Army reached they forced the Pak invaders to beat a hasty retreat. But Nehru did another blunder of declaring unilateral ceasefire without taking his Cabinet into confidence. This was followed by his another great mistake of taking the Kashmir issue to United States.
“Had Sardar Patel been allowed to handle J&K like other princely states of country, the PoJK which is under forcible occupation of Pakistan would have been with India and J&K would not have been divided.”
The Union Minister said the J&K bore the brunt of these blunders. The incorporation of Article 370 was also the gravest mistake of Congress and though Nehru had declared in the Parliament while replying to then Jana Sangh leader, Dr Shyama Prasad Mookherjee that it (Article 370) will get eroded by span of time but the party failed to keep its promise. It was PM Modi who fulfilled this promise by annulling this controversial Article, he added.
He said even Congress created controversy on Ram Temple and PM Narendra Modi constructed it.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that there is national commitment of retrieving PoJK from Pakistan and the joint resolution has been passed during the Congress Government led by Narsimha Rao in 1994. The retrieving of PoJK is the unfinished agenda of the present Government, he asserted.
Dr Jitendra Singh said “There were some confusing characters at that time one was Nehru and another was Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, the former CM of J&K. “Sheikh was such a typical character that he was faithful to none except himself”, he added.
He said Nehru brought Maharaja to backfoot and pushed him to wall just to bring Sheikh to power. But Sheikh even did not turn faithful to Nehru. He hobnobbed with US and finally he was sent to jail for this anti national activities, said Dr Jitendra Singh.
Terming Sheikh one of the biggest protagonists of Article 370, the Minister said he (Sheikh) later turned one of its biggest abusers.
Enumerating, he said in 1975 when during the emergency the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi through a Constitutional amendment extended term of Lok Sabha and Assemblies from five years to six years, Sheikh implemented this amendment in J&K without losing any time. Three years later when Morarji Deasi Government revoked the term of Lok Sabha and Assemblies to five years, Sheikh did not implement that and J&K was the only State in the country whose Assembly was having six years term, he added.
The partition, said Dr Jitendra Singh, was vociferously opposed not only by Mahatma Gandhi but also across the sections of masses including many a Muslim intellectuals who constituted Progressive Writers’ Association. In the aftermath, more than a million people lost their lives and many more were rendered homeless in a bloody exchange of populations between India and newly carved out Pakistan, he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the two- nation theory which was given as an argument in support of partition also proved to be misguided as evident from the separation of the then East Pakistan to form Bangladesh.
The Minister said that Pandit Nehru, despite opposition from Gandhi and others, tacitly allowed Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s demand for partition to succeed.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, while appreciating the role of Department of Strategic and Regional Studies, University of Jammu and Jammu Kashmir Study Centre for organizing such an important function, said that the son of the soil Brigadier Rajinder Singh single handedly fought with the enemy forces and repelled the invaders up to Uri but again the unilateral ceasefire declaration by the then Prime Minister, Nehru led to partition of Jammu & Kashmir also. He said that such decisions of the Congress party and its rulers are still costing India for its land and resources.
Dr. Jitendra Singh further clarifying termed the Indus Water Treaty like agreements as under-implemented leading to under utilization of our own water resources.
The Minister, while elaborating another brunt of the partition, quoted the example of Article 370 which kept Jammu & Kashmir under developed for decades. He said that to oblige Sheikh Abdullah, Congress Government led by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru not only antagonised Maharaja Hari Singh but also allowed sentiments of separatism to be nourished by the Sheikh.
Maharaja Hari Singh was never at fault, said Dr Jitendra Singh, and argued that the delay in accession happened on account of dilly dallying by Nehru who wanted to impose Sheikh Abdullah on the Maharaja as well on the State.
The memorial lecture was organised by the Department of Defence & Strategic Studies headed by its Director Dr Virender Koundal in the University of Jammu.
The function was presided over by Vice-Chancellor SKUAST Jammu, Prof. B.N. Tripathi while Major General (Retired) Goverdhan Singh Jamwal was the guest of honour.
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