Jammu: The ruling NC and the BJP traded charges on Sunday after leaders were stopped from visiting the martyrs’ graveyard in Srinagar to pay tributes to the victims of the 1931 shooting under the Dogra rule, with J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary accusing the BJP of peddling “communal narratives”.
Leader of Opposition in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma alleged that the NC was trying to indulge in “provocative politics in the name of these traitors” and revive separatist sentiment that was buried following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Choudhary joined senior NC leaders at the function convened to pay tributes to the 22 persons killed by the Dogra army outside Srinagar Central Jail on this day in 1931.
“The nation that forgets its martyrs does not last long. Those who laid down their lives in 1931 were unarmed civilians fighting for their rights. They were not driven by religion or fighting against any community,” the deputy chief minister told reporters at the ruling National Conference headquarters here.
“BJP is trying to mislead the public by peddling false narratives because they know that the more they speak against Kashmir, they will benefit in Jammu (during elections).
“They have ruled J&K for the past 11 years, but they failed the public and hence are raking up such issues to divert the attention of the people from the real problems like unemployment,” he alleged.
He said Maharaja Hari Singh set up a judicial commission to probe the incident and asked for recommendations for grievance redressal in Kashmir.
“The BJP people are enacting a drama to mislead the people of Jammu so that they do not question them on real issues like unemployment, rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrant Pandits… We are in a Union Territory, having no power to take big decisions,” Choudhary said and demanded the restoration of statehood.
He criticised the placing of restrictions on the movement of National Conference leaders to prevent them from visiting the martyrs’ graveyard to offer their tributes.
“This is our condition. Locking a deputy chief minister, ministers and MLAs is a threat to democracy,” he said.
“It is surprising that my official residence at Gupkar in Srinagar was locked by the police. They do not even know that I am in Jammu,” he said.
“The BJP is saying the situation is normal in J&K, then why were restrictions placed on the elected leaders and others in the valley.
“We appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah (to look into this) as the people in J&K are also nationalists and stood by our forces during Operation Sindoor,” Choudhary said.
The NC leader said he is proud of his party leadership, which is “secular, Hindustani and nationalist”.
Senior BJP leader and LoP Sunil Sharma slammed the glorification of those killed in the 1931 incident. “We consider them as traitors, as I have made it clear on the floor of the assembly,” he said.
“The National Conference is trying to indulge in provocative politics in the name of these traitors, terrorists, separatists and so-called political prisoners to revive the sentiment (of separatism). They are having a misconception as this will never happen again,” he told reporters.
