SRINAGAR: On the 73rd death anniversary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, BJP national general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh raised questions over the role of National Conference founder and then Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, in connection with Mukherjee’s death. He also asked why no inquiry was conducted into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Chugh, the BJP in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir, said that Shyama Prasad Mukherjee’s sacrifice was of great significance and was made in the interest of the people of J&K.
Mukherjee died in police custody in Srinagar on June 23, 1953, after being arrested for entering Jammu and Kashmir without a permit during a protest against the state’s special constitutional status.
Chugh also questioned the moral responsibility of the then J&K Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah, under whose tenure Mukherjee died while in custody.
“Till today, the government of Jammu and Kashmir, which was then headed by Sheikh Mohammad and today his grandson Omar Abdullah is running the government, has not disclosed the circumstances in which Mukherjee died? What were the reasons for his death? Who was responsible for it? Under which law was he arrested and subjected to such a punishment? Till today, they have remained silent on these questions,” he said.
According to Chugh, Mukherjee symbolised the national sentiment of all-inclusive Bharat which Abdullah had been trying to sabotage. “He was against a separate constitution, separate flag and a separate political system for J&K which Sheikh Abdulah was trying to establish under Article 370.”
The BJP leader said the nation deserved answers about the circumstances of Mukherjee’s death. “Why such cruel behaviour was adopted with a revolutionary? Either no independent investigation was conducted and if one was held, then why the report was not released. It is very unfortunate,” he said.
“Today, we want to ask the government from Kashmir that why have the facts about his death been kept hidden? Who is responsible? The country wants to know," he added.
The BJP leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed Mukherjee’s agenda on August 5, 2019 by abrogating Articles 370 and 35A to fully integrate J&K with India and give the UT a new vision of growth and development.
He said J&K government should observe a 'holocaust day' in memory of victims of the Pakistan army, who raided the then princely state in 1947 disguised as tribal people.
"The Pakistan army killed Kashmiri citizens, raped the daughters and continuously looted J&K for 96 hours, killing and plundering. It was a holocaust,” he said.
In response to a question on restoration of statehood to J&K, Chugh said, “The Prime Minister of the country Narendra Modi has himself said about it in the parliament and it will be restored soon.”
Describing J&K as a paradise on earth, the BJP leader said PM Modi has made J&K a tourism capital of India. “There was a setback last year but it has bounced back.”
“G-20 meeting was held in Srinagar. The national and international events are held here, showing the region's growing prominence,” Chugh said and urged people to visit Kashmir.
