Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 14: Ridiculing the statement of Congress leader and ex MLC, Vikramaditya Singh, BJP today expressed surprise that the party and the people who harmed the Dogras interest most are talking of Dogra pride after losing the power.
In a hard hitting statement, BJP State chief spokesperson, Brig (retd) Anil Gupta said it was the Congress which during its rule at Centre for 65 years harmed the Dogra interest most and forced the Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of the State to lead an exiled life at Mumbai till his last breath.
He said it is a pity that the last ruler of the family had to take refuge thousands kms away from his home State which ruled the State for over hundred years and was responsible for extending its boundaries to Gilgit and Askardoo.
Brig Gupta, while reacting to the statement of Vikramaditya Singh said since his father was in Congress and remained on prize positions in the party and Government for decades together besides being appointed as first Sadar –e-Riyasat of the State after his father was ousted did not oppose the then Prime Minster, Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru and NC leader, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah who conspired against Maharaja and forced him to live in exile for the rest of his life and today Congress is blaming BJP for every thing.
He said it is unfortunate that no member of Maharaja’s family accompanied him and today they are claiming that they are fighting for his legacy. Brig Gupta said it was during the Congress rule when all the places of Dogra heritage in the State of J&K were neglected and left to decay.
He said today the Congress leader has made an issue that Jammu Airport be named on Maharaja Hari Singh but asked that why was not the airport named after great Maharaja when his father was Civil Aviation Minister at Centre for a long time. He also wanted to know why did not Congress and the son of Maharaja Hari Singh resisted when Sheikh declared July 13 as holiday to defame Maharaja and his golden rule.
The BJP leader said that by talking of Dogra pride the Congress can’t befool Jammu people as it was during the Congress rule when Jammu suffered most discrimination.
He said in comparison to that during BJP rule the game changing projects and developmental schemes not only for Jammu but entire State were taken into hand.
He said that Congress never took up the issue of declaring birthday of Maharaja as holiday and it was BJP Mayor, Kavinder Gupta who installed Maharaja’s statue in Jammu but Congress and NC boycotted the ceremony. Besides, it was during the Government of Atal Behari Vajpayee at Centre that Dogri was entered in the Eighth Schedule of Indian Constitution, he added.
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