Jammu/Srinagar: The BJP on Wednesday celebrated “accession day” across Jammu and Kashmir, with its senior leader Ravinder Raina saying the day is not far when the tricolour will be hoisted in parts of the union territory occupied by Pakistan and China.
On October 26, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, signed the Instrument of Accession on J&K. The BJP had decided to celebrate the day as ‘vilay diwas’.
In Jammu, BJP leaders led by Raina, who is the party’s Jammu and Kashmir chief, celebrated “accession day” or vilay diwas at the Maharaja Hari Singh park near the Tawi river.
The national flag was hoisted and tributes were paid to the Maharaja.
“The whole of Jammu and Kashmir is celebrating this day as it has come after supreme sacrifices by nationalists,” Raina said.
”Vilay diwas is like Republic and Independence day for us as this was the day when our Maharaja made J&K an integral part of India,” he said, adding that the instrument of accession signed by the Maharaja was full and final.
It was through this that he united the whole of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India, the BJP leader said.
“Some parts of Jammu and Kashmir are still under the illegal occupation of Pakistan and China, and the day is not far when we will hoist the tricolour there as well,” he said and alleged that it was the Congress that ditched the Maharaja and Jammu and Kashmir.
While MP Jugal Kishore Sharma said accession day was very important and provided insight on the historic events related to Jammu and Kashmir, former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh remembered the important role played by the Maharaja and chain of events during unification.
Celebrations of accession day also took place in Srinagar where BJP workers burst firecrackers. Reports of celebrations were received from various districts of the Jammu region too.
In Kashmir, a BJP leader advised those advocating separatism to either join the mainstream or to go to jail.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in Jawaharnagar here, BJP leader and former minister, Sunil Sharma said people of Jammu and Kashmir are “desperately waiting for the day when security forces and police strike the last nail in the coffin of separatism”.
“They (separatists) have been left with two options, either to join the mainstream or go to jail. People of Jammu and Kashmir are desperately waiting for the day when Indian police and security forces strike the last nail in the coffin of separatism,” Sharma said replying to a query regarding a Hurriyat leader likely joining the mainstream politics.
“All those people including Hurriyat leaders and separatists have to join the mainstream as they have no option left now. All doors have been closed for them and they either have to join the mainstream or go to jail.” Sharma said.
He added that the “shops these Hurriyat leaders used to run in Kashmir at the behest of Pakistan have been closed and they don’t have any customers here now”.
“Now the only option left for them is that they will have to open the shops of India as only these shops will now run in Jammu and Kashmir. Hurriyat leaders should mend their ways or get ready to go to jail,” he added.
Criticizing Pakistan for disturbing peace in J&K through perpetual “proxy war”, he said the neighboring nation spared no effort to harm India right from 1947 when Tribal raiders invaded Kashmir valley.
He said Pakistan fought three wars including one in 1999 but was badly defeated and realized that it cannot defeat India in conventional war.
He said Jammu and Kashmir merged with India due to the supreme sacrifices of Maqbool Sherwani and Major Somnath Sharma of the Indian Army.“We salute Maqbool Sherwani and Indian Army’s Somnath Sharma who lost lives while protecting the valley from tribals.”
BJP workers celebrated the Accession Day at the party headquarters here by bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets. Sunil Sharma along with other party leaders and workers paid tributes to Maharaja Hari Singh.
