Topic : SOME OF THE SILENT

FEAUTERS (THE HISTORY OF

JAMMU & KASHMIR AFTER 1947
PRAJA PARISHAD & THE ROLE OF
DR. SHAYAMA PRASHAD
MUKHERJEE IN JAMMU & KASHMIR).

By: Prof. Dr. Kul Bhushan Mohtra

Incharge Nana Ji Deshmukh
Library & Documentation Department
Jammu & Kashmir
ABSTRACT :

Keywords:

1. PRAJA PARISHAD

2. THE ROLE OF DR. SHAYAMA PRASHAD MUKHERJEE IN JAMMU &

KASHMIR

THE EMERGENCE OF ALL J&K PRAJA PARISHAD

The birth of the Praja Parishad was in fact to fill up a vacuum as

there was no major political party in this state having a national
outlook though the Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah led National
conference was having a strong mass base in the valley of
Kashmir. The N.C was actually the incarnation of Muslim
Conference, which was renamed in 1938.

In the situation created by the invasion of the State by the newly

created theoretic State of Pakistan, the Maharaja opted for
secular India by signing that instrument of Accession to Indian
union rather than yielding to the invaders. With the support of
Indian Prime Minister Sh. Jawahar Lal Nehru, Sheikh Mohd
Abdullah led NC got the reins of power. After this change of
authority many time servers in Jammu swarmed to the NC to
enjoy the loaves and fishes of the power.

To please their new Masters these activists coined the

slogans:-

 aek Rehnuma (One Leader) - Sheikh Abdullah

 aek Jamait (One Party) - National Conference
 aek Manshoor (One Manifesto) - Naya Kashmir

Visionary Pt. Prem Nath Dogra and his colleagues in the RSS felt
this rat-race as dangerous for the growth of democracy as this
“aek” would lead to totalitarianism and the Lok Raj would
become the casualty because without any opposition the ruling
authority would be come to be despotic. Hence to fill this gap, it
was decided in November, 1947, to float a new party committed
to full integration of the State to the rest of the country and
create nationalistic ambience in the entire State

After due consideration it was decided to name it as All J&K

Praja Parishad as the Maharaja had acceded to India his entire
State that existed before the aggression by Pakistan.

This emergence of the new party was not to the liking of the
Sheikh and his men who were least concerned with the
democratic norms.

In Jammu because the Maharaja belonged to this land and the

NC activists had an ingrained a hatred against Dogras because of
the Maharaja being a Dogra notwithstanding that his rule was
autocratic rule and common masses of Jammu had nothing to go
with this autocracy.

It is noteable that on the analogy of Quit India movement of

Mahatma Gandhi against the foreign rulers in 1942, in Kashmir
Sheikh Abdullah had launched Quit Kashmir movement raising
anti-Dogra slogans although the maharaja was the son of the soil
and he was not a Foreigner.

The prevailing feelings had resulted in rapid spread of the Praja

Parishad in Jammu areas because there was good team of RSS
activists in the State.

The spread of Praja Parishad in Jammu resulted in Sheikh led

dispensation got Jittery and hence he resorted to highly hostile
approach.

Several activists were expelled from the State Pt. Prem Nath
Dogra and some others were arrested without any charges and
shifted to Srinagar jail in 2nd week of Feb, 1949 to face severe
cold of the winter in terrible situation.

The extent of the NC rulers pique towards Praja Parishad

Satyagrahis could be gauged that in Srinagar Jail on the account
board of the inmate the Praja Parishad activists were listed as
“Enemy Agent”.

This caused an alarm in the public and to seek their release a

Satyagrah movement was launched. Hundreds of activists were
arrested and were put to extreme type of hardship and suffering.

Pt. Prem Nath Dogra and his colleagues were released after eight
months of detention but only after the intervention of some
National Leaders at the centre.

But this was not an end of the persecution and high handedness.
The horrible condition can be judged from the fact that as many
as 15 youths were shot dead and some others injured at various
places for hoisting the Indian Tricolour. The agitation launched
by PP for full integration of the state with the rest of country also
included the demand for abolishing of permit system for entering
or leaving the state.

DR. SYAMA PRASHAD MOOKERJEE

When the atrocities against the Satyagrahis were going on

without any check, Dr. Syama Prashad Mookerjee decided to visit
the State on a peace mission. But on entering the state without
permit which was equivalent needed to visit a different country,
at the middle of the Ravi Bridge he was arrested by the State
Police and taken to Srinagar in a Jeep where he was lodged in the
huts of Nishat Bagh. These huts were meant for the residing of
Mali’s (Gardeners).
A view of the small hut on the backside of Nishat Garden,
Srinagar where Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee was lodged after his
arrest, Dr. Mookerjee died on the black night of June 22/23, in
1953 under the circumstances shrouded in mystery. No enquiry
was held despite the demand from different quarters including
the aged mother, Smt. Yog Maya and then Bengal Chief Minister
Sh. B.C. Roy

The hub has since been removed it had become place of

attraction for many of his admirers visiting to Srinagar.

VISION OF PT. PREM NATH DOGRA

Pandit Dogra had a great quality of taking up any public issue

with arguments. He always advised his colleagues and followers
to be MUDLAL i.e. talk with arguments and reasoning.

He was opposed to any kind of division or differential treatment

on basis of religion, creed or colour. He termed the Two Nations
Theory of Mohd Ali Jinnah as obnoxious and dangerous as it
divides people on communal lines and generates ill-will amongst
people with different religious faiths. Pandit Ji was of the view
that religious faiths are ways to worship God to seek peace,
prosperity and tranquillity. One can do so in a Temple, Mosque,
Girja Ghar or elsewhere. But it cannot form the ground for
nationhood or any other political identity. He was of the opinion
that if religion is made a ground for such a division, where does
India remains as this Country has numerous faiths to worship
the almighty.

He also used to assert that we the Indians had common culture.

Our forefathers were one. We were living together. We are of the
same blood.

Shri Dogra used to emphasise that change of religion by any

one, it does not mean that past or even blood was changed.
 He also had been arguing that if the religion can be the ground
for any nationhood, then the Muslims should have one country
alone, the Buddhist their own one, the Christian should have
formed their own one. But there is nothing like that.

Pt. Ji felt that division of India was ill conceived with a design.

He held the view that Kashmir is not only strategic but also core
of India on many accounts.

CEASE FIRE

Pt. Dogra was opposed to Cease-fire in 1948, especially when the

Pakistani invaders were on the run and the Indian forces were
marching fast in liberating the enemy held areas of the State.

He was of the view that holding of State

areas by Pakistan would become a bone of contention between
two neighbours. Moreover, Pakistan had no legal authority. Her
position is not more than that of an invader.

But Shri Nehru was guided by erroneous considerations. He was

getting more guidance from the Sheikh than anybody else on
Kashmir. But Sheikh was not interested in those areas as he had
little following outside Kashmir valley. And thus, the people of
enemy held areas were left at the mercy of marauders. It is
notable that in Pak-held areas there was a population of about
35 percent of Hindu, Sikhs and other minorities before the
invasion but now not a single person of these communities left
there. All of them have been eliminated or forcibly converted to
Islam.

Two brothers, one was converted to Islam in POJK, who could

not migrate to this side
A Sikh boy who could not migrate was converted by the
Jihadis to Islam

MAHARAJA PUT IN EXILE

It was height of animosity of the Nehru-Sheikh’s duo that the

Maharaja Hari Singh whose signing of the instrument of
Accession provided legal sanctity of J&K State being an integral
part of Indian Union, was put in exile at Mumbai, far away his
people, where he died in a hapless situation in a hospital. No
members of his family were his side when he breathed his last.

The Praja Parishad demanded the similar treatment to

Maharaja Hari Singh as was given to over 500 Rajas and Nawabs
of the Union but was dubbed as “reactionaries aspiring for
restoration of feudalism and autocracy”.

Thus, at every step the attempts were made to malign the Praja
Parishad and its activist were put to face hardships including
Jails without any trial.
 RADICALISM IN KASHMIR

Despite warning by Pt. Prem Nath Dogra, congress sown seeds of

radicalism in Kashmir for “political dealing” with Sheikh Mohd.
Abdullah, who termed the Congressmen as “insects of a dirty
lane”. While giving the call for social boycott (Table Mawalat) on
the eve of 1967 Assembly elections.

To counter the Sheikh led Plebiscite front the ruling

Congress Leaders encouraged the traditional adversaries of the
Sheikh including Mirwaiz and establishment of Jamaat E-Islami
unit in Kashmir.

It was in 1972 Assembly election that five members of

Jamaat E-Islami found their place in the assembly as being the
major opposition. Syed Ali Shah Geelani was deputy Leader of
this group which was head by Qari Saif-Ud-Din.

ACHIEVEMENTS

The hard struggle for demolishing of barriers between Jammu

and Kashmir and the rest of India has resulted in several
achievements. These include the:

1). Doing away with the permit (visa like) system for entering and
staying for anyone in this State and vice-versa for the people of
J&K.

2). The Customs system for import and exports of goods was
abolished.

3). The financial integration took place for flow of funds and the
jurisdiction of comptroller and Auditor General of India got
extended to the State.
4). The Jurisdiction of Supreme Court as also that of Election
Commission of India found place in this State. And “unopposed”
election to elected bodies came to an end which were as earlier
majority seats were manipulated unopposed. The members to
Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were earlier nominated instead
of elections.

5). Due to this struggle by Praja Parishad, subsequently the

nomenclature of the Sadar-e-Riyasat to that of the Governor and
that of Prime Minister to the Chief Minister were changed to be in
line with other States.

6). Most of the Indian Laws got extended to benefit the people of
the J&K also.

7). Freedom of the Press is also one of the major achievements.

EK NISHAN EK VIDHAN EK PRADHAN

The political lineage further went on in stepping into his shoes to strive hard
for carrying the mission of Ek Nishan Ek Vidhan Ek Pradhan to undertake its
further steady journey. Accordingly Shri Prakash Vir Shastri, Member of Lok
Sabha from Bijnor moved a private bill for abrogation of Article 370 in the Lok
Sabha on September 11, 1964, which gained momentum of carrying support of
all the Members of Lok Sabha representing the Jammu and Kashmir state viz
Shri Inderjit Malhotra, Sham Lal Saraf, Gopal Dutt Mengi apart from three
others from J&K totalling six members present in the House on division took
place on December 4, 1964. Though the said Bill was defeated on the said date
but the crucial issue of Article 370 gained moral support of both the Houses of
the Parliament because Sh Lal Bahadur Shastri’s led Government was at the
Centre. It was expected that such a pressure will fructify by way of official Bill
in the parliament on this issue but because of sudden demise of the then
Prime Minister Sh Shastri who was succeeded by Smt Indira Gandhi, the move
went under carpet. Another attempt was further made by Sh Atal Bihari
Vajpayee in moving a private Bill No 86 of 1971 on the floor of Lok Sabha on
July 9th, 1971, with the objects and reasons read as “The Special Status of the
state of Jammu and Kashmir being maintained even after 20 years of the
commencement of the Constitution is an anachronism which must be
discarded now. The general legislative competence of Parliament should not
be dependent on the sweet will of the State so far as the matter impinges on
the sovereignty of Parliament. It is therefore necessary that the power of
Parliament to legislative on matters included in the Union list must be restored
immediately. In any case the special position enjoyed by the state of Jammu
and Kashmir must be ended by 26th January 1972.

Even Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah being at his last leg of his life
realised the sins of insisting draconian provisions of Article 370 in the
Constitution of India, had made statement on the floor of the State Legislative
Assembly at Jammu on 2nd March 1981 that “Article 370 is not any Quranic
sermon, which cannot be changed. Removing Article 370 will open roads of
success.

The destiny of Jammu and Kashmir engulfed by the barriers of

abstractions in way of its developing future, when Shri Narendra Modi storm
into power with thumping majority to install 2nd term Government of the country in
the last week of May 2019 and Amit Shah to become the Union Home Minister as
well. The duo after cautious study of past homework carried in the 1st inning of Sh
Modi’s Government, proved to be the true coronations of Dr Shyama Prasad
Mukerjee, in accomplishing his last desire of Ek Nishan Ek Vidhan and Ek Pradhan
(hanging in balance for the last over seven decades) by way of introduction of the
Constitution (Application to the Jammu and Kashmir) order 2019 (c.o 272) from the
President of India in exercise of his power vested under Article 370(1) of the
Constitution of India, thereby all the provisions of the Constitution of India as
amended from time to time were ordered to be applied in case of the State of
Jammu and Kashmir with exceptions and modifications to Article 367(4), by
superseding the provisions of the Constitution (Application to the Jammu and
Kashmir) order 1954 as amended from time to time. Further such move in shape of
the order of the President called as the Constitution (Application to Jammu and
Kashmir) order was further approved by the both Houses of the Parliament in shape
of a resolution of the Government of India moved by Sh Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha on
5th August 2019 i.e. by way of presentation of Bill No 29 of 2019 to provide for the
reorganisation of the existing State of Jammu and Kashmir and for the matters
connected there with or incidental there to with the statement of objects and
reasons read as;
 “The Ladakh Division of the State of Jammu and Kashmir has a large area
but s sparsely populated with very difficult terrain. There has been a long pending
demand of the people of Ladakh, to sine it to a status of Union Territory to enable
them to realise their aspirations. The Union Territory of Ladakh will be without
legislature.

Further keeping in view the prevailing internal security situation, fuelled

by cross border terrorism in the existing State of Jammu and Kashmir, a separate
Union Territory for Jammu and Kashmir is being created. The Union Territory for
Jammu and Kashmir will be with legislature”.