Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh - Kashmir accession Effort

A.V. · 08-08-11, 01:02 AM

The contribution of the RSS in the field of Kashmir's accession to India and in its one Head, one symbol and one constitution is now an honourable page of history.

The courtiers of the Maharaja, his associates and members of the council of ministers exerted their full pressure for Kashmir's accession to India. Sardar Patel and Mahatama Gandhi too tried but the Maharaja was not prepared. He was not ready to accept the domination of Nehru. On the other side Pakistani troops had reached the borders of Kashmir.
Meeting between the Maharaja and Sh. Guruji

The efforts of political leaders had failed. Time was getting delicate. In these conditions Sardar Patel sent a message to the RSS Chief, Sh. M. S. Golewalker, through Mehar Chand Mahajan, requesting him to use his influence to prevail upon the Maharaja to accede to India. Sh. Guruji cancelled all his engagements and rushed to Srinagar from Nagpur by air via Delhi to resolve the ticklish and delicate question. Through the efforts of Mehar Chand Mahajan and Pt. Premnath Dogra a meeting between Sh. Guruji and Maharaja Hari Singh was arranged.

It was not a personal meeting. It was not a discussion on house, land, property or on the politics of votes. It was a historical meeting on the question of integrity of the nation. The Maharaja who remained unmoved by many national leaders bowed his head in front of a simple-clad staunch nationalist. He understood the importance of protection of his religion and nation. The Maharaja sent the accession proposal to Delhi and Sh. Guruji directed the RSS workers in Jammu and Kashmir to shed last drop of their blood for the security of Jammu and Kashmir. After issuing these directions he returned to Delhi.

It may be recalled that prior to it, the Punjab provincial chief of RSS, Rai Bahadur Badri Das, had also met the Maharaja in July 1947 but his efforts to prevail upon Hari Singh to accede to India had failed.

Sh. Madhav Rao Mulle, has given information about this historical fact in the book "Shri Guruji Samagra Darshan". Sh. Madhav Rao was Praant Pracharak of RSS in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Madhav Rao, "the union Home Minister, Sardar Patel, had told Mehar Chand Mahajan, Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, to prepare Maharaja Hari Singh for accession of the state to India. Mehar Chand Mahajan conveyed the message to Sh. Guruji requesting him to meet the Maharaja and prepare him for the accession. Mr. Mahajan had arranged the meeting between Guruji and the Maharaja".

"Guruji reached Srinagar by air from Delhi on October 17, 1947. The meeting took place on the morning of October 18. During the meeting prince Karan Singh, with his plastered fractured leg, was present while lying on the bed. Maharaja's contentian was that 'my state is fully dependent on Pakistan. All routes passed through Sialkot and Rawalpindi. Lahore is my airport. How can I have relations with India ?' Sh Guruji made him to understand saying 'you are a Hindu king'. By acceding to Pakistan your Hindu people will have to struggle against grave difficulties. It is correct that there is no road, rail or air link with India but it can be set right quickly. In your interest and in the interest of Jammu and Kashmir state it is better for you to accede to India."

"Sh. Mehar Chand Mahajan told the Maharaja 'Guruji is saying the right thing. You should accede to India'. In the end the Maharaja presented a "Tosa" (superfine pashmina) shawl to Guruji. In the accession of Jammu and Kashmir with India Guruji has made an important contribution."

There is no mention of this important event in any recognised book of history. Nobody knows about it, none has turned the page of history, nobody reads the event regarding the State's accession to India. There are three reasons for it.

First, the men of the RSS know how to serve the country. The RSS activists are away from propagating it and they have no interest in publicising it through their writings. Guruji hated self-praise and self-publicity. Therefore, there is very scanty material written on the nationalist activities of the RSS. It is natural for the Sangh to remain aloof from the pages of history. Like many political leaders, Guruji did not write his autobiography.

Secondly, it was the nature of the Congress to get history written. Afer achieving independence whatever books of history have been written on the freedom struggle, place has been given only to the Congress revolution. Subash Chander Bose, Savarkar, Bhagat Singh, Dr. Hedgewar and others have been sidelined. Under this trend the above mentioned national contribution of Guruji has not found any mention in the books of history. The above historical event has been lost in the self-praise of the ruling congress leaders and in their political intrigues of undermining the nationalism of others.

Thirdly, the installation of Sheikh Abdullah as Prime Minister soon after the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India. In order to take the credit for the State's accession to India the Sheikh lied, changed his stance many times and got many historical documents and files destroyed. It is said that the Sheikh even got destroyed Maharaja Hari Singh's historical documents and his memoirs.

Initial security of Kashmir by RSS activists

By the middle of 1946 the RSS Shakhas had flourished in the Kashmir valley. Educated youths came in contact with the Shakhas. And the majority of the Sangh activists in the Shakhas used to be Kashmiri Hindus. Guruji was on tour of north India and a plan had been prepared for organising a massive public meeting in Srinagar.

All activists and workers of the RSS felt happy. It was natural. It was a great event to have a top leader of a top Hindu organisation in Kashmir where 90 per cent population was that of the Muslims, where the Hindu society has remained supportless for centuries, where the sanctity of religious places had been destroyed and where the Hindu society was existing without any respect. The meeting was organised in the premises of D.A.V. College, Srinagar. Over 1,000 RSS activists were present in the meeting. Prominent citizens of the city too were invited. they attended the meeting with faith. While emphasising the need for unity in the Hindu society, respected Guruji called for vigilance against the activities of the antinational elements and urged people to defeat these elements unitedly. This function brought about encouragement in the Valley which was evident during the Pakistani aggression on Kashmir.

The sacrifices rendered by the RSS activists for protecting Kashmir at the time of the Partition deserve a special treatment and mention in the history of India. Right on the morning August 15, 1947 pro-pak elements had started creating disturbances in Srinagar. Pakistani green flags were hoisted on all Government buildings. The RSS activists accepted the challenge and finalised a scheme in the headquarters of RSS. By 10 o'clock thousands of RSS workers and Hindus assembled near Amirakadal bridge. Their patriotism was worth seeing. Even those who dubbed Kashmiri Pandits as cowards had to keep their fingers crossed when within a short time Pakistani flags were removed and a big procession was taken out in major streets of Srinagar. Pro-Pak elements were challenged. The entire atmosphere reverberated with the slogan of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai". The Hindu society felt encouraged and the Maharaja too realised the strength and devotion of the Sangh.

Two prominent Sangh Pracharaks, Mr. Harish Bhanot and Mr. Mangal Sen, established contact with Pakistani officers and, in the disguise of Muslims, collected all the information about the military activities of Pakistan and of the possible invasion, for one month, which was given to Prof. Balraj Madhok. They even gave the information about the date of the aggression and the routes the invaders were to follow. The Maharaja summoned Mr. Madhok. The meeting took place in the Palace in Srinagar. After getting all the information the Maharaja demanded 200 RSS workers so that they could be given arms for protecting the city. Realising the gravity of the situation, Mr. Madhok promised to bring 200 RSS activists the next morning.

The RSS workers were given information at midnight directing them to report at Arya Samaj temple at six in the morning. In the morning 200 RSS workers were present and everyone of them was a student and had come out of their houses to render sacrifices for the country. A prayer meeting was held and later were carried to Badami Bagh cantonment in an Army truck where some soldiers were ready. They quickly taught the young students how to handle the gun. By the evening these youths had reached the battle front. For two days these RSS soldiers stopped the Pakistani troops till the arrival of the Indian Army. Everybody knows about this historical sacrifice but none speaks about it. The Sheikh too knew about it. The same Sheikh who had left behind the people on hearing the news about the Pakistani invasion and fled, alongwith his family members, to Bombay. The Valley was saved first by the RSS workers and then by the Indian Army, not by the fugitive Sheikh.

Martyrs of Kotli

By a mistake on the part of the Indian Airforce, boxes of ammunition were dropped on the other side of the Nallah which was within the firing range of Pakistani troops. How to evacuate those boxes ? Who will get them ? If the troops were asked to do it, it would have meant death for them. Who would then fight later ? If the ammunition boxes were not evacuated, the Indian troops could be killed. What to do ?

There was need for a great sacrifice for evacuating these boxes. The Army commander hit on a plan. He thought that only the RSS youths could do it and accordingly he reached the RSS headquarters at Kotli. Mr. Chander Prakash, Manager of Punjab National Bank, Kotli branch, was the organiser of the Sangh at that time. He listened attentively to the Army commander and told hilm "How many youths are needed" ?

The Army officer said "eight will do". Chander Prakash had become emotional out of his eagerness to render sacrifice and told the Army officer that he should wait in the office without any worry because he would bring seven youths, eighth being himself, within half an hour.

Chander Prakashji immediately rushed to the town and Sought names of those who were ready to render sacrifice. More than 30 youths came forward. It was a problem for Mr. Chander Prakash to make a selection out of the 30 youths. He lined all of them and picked up seven youths. It was difficult to make others agree to stay back and ultimately he had to issue his command. For an RSS activist command from his leader is like the command from God. The rest stopped. They bid tearful farewell to their eight comrades. They knew the meaning of this farewell and as such it was a mute farewell.

Mr. Chander Prakash reached the Army officer with the seven youths within less than half an hour. The eight youths reached the battlefront with the commander. They were informed about the work they had to carry out in evacuating the ammunition boxes without allowing the Pakistani troops to have any idea of it and in bringing those boxes upto the Indian troops. After understanding their job, the eight youths marched forward to their destination.

While crawling, slipping and stumbling, the eight youths reached the Nallah on whose other bank lay the boxes. The Nallah was full of water with sharp flow. These youths swam fast across the Nallah to reach the goal.

Each youth picked up one box. One carrying it on the head and the other on his back. Gradually they re-entered the Nallah but could not maintain silence in the water. The sound of their movement reached the Pakistani troops. The result was indiscriminate firing from the machine-guns on them. They were not scared of death because they had come out of their houses in the guise of martyrs. But they had one worry: they wanted to see the boxes reach the hands of the Indian soldiers before the youths were killed. Under the rain of fire, the youths crossed the Nallah and were marching towards the Army camp.

The rain of bullets turned into torrents. Chander Prakash and Ved Prakash, the two youths, were hit by bullets. Both of them were injured and fell down but there was no time for others to take care of the two. After leaving the two wounded youths there, the six youths marched ahead with boxes on their backs. These youths succeeded in their mission and handed over the ammunition boxes to the Army. They were worried about their two colleagues whom they had left behind. These six youths left for the spot for carrying back the wounded comrades and followed the same route under the rain of bullets. How hazardous it was ? But they were determined as they had great affection for their comrades. They had fulfilled their mission and now their task was to evacuate their two injured comrades. Where shall such an example of mutual love be found ?

When the six youths left for evacuating their two comrades, the rain of bullets further intensified. They crawled to the place where the two wounded comrades had been left. But they got the bodies of the two comrades. They had achieved martyrdom in the service of their motherland. There was no time to wail and weep. They carried the two bodies on their back and started their trek on the rockey and bushy paths to reach the Army camp.

But it had become difficult to escape easily from the continuous firing from behind. They had travelled a small distance when one more comrade received two bullets in his ear and became a martyr there and then. His body too was carried by them and marched forward. It was a terrible test for these nationalists: they had to crawl with dead bodies on their back on difficult path and that too under the heavy rain of bullets. They kept on moving and the Army camp was nearby. But nature needed more blood. One more comrade was silenced with a bullet that hit him. His body too was carried by the surviving youths with courage and fortitude.

It was heart rending scene. The youths returned to their camp. Four returned out of the eight. Each carried a body of the martyrs. All the RSS workers, citizens, mothers and sisters of the Kotli town had waited in tension for the full day. Slogans of "Shaheedoon ki Jai" (respects to Martyrs) and "Bharat Mata ki Jai" (respects to Mother India) rent the sky. People decorated the four bodies with flowers and arrangements for their cremation were made by people weeping and wailing over the loss.

A big pyre was built outside the town. The four bodies were placed on the pyre with the Army salute and amid the wails, tears and sobs of the people. Women showered flowers on the pyre. The flames of the pyre started kissing the sky. The four, who had carried the bodies to the town, burst into tears. They cried, they wept. The Army authorities directed all to return to their houses immediately. It was getting dark. The Pakistani troops continued firing from the mountain in front.

The ammunition boxes were opened. The soldier was equipped with ammunition and now our troops too had the ammunition. The Indian troops launched a fierce attack on the Pakistani soldiers like a hungry lion. The heavy attack shook the Pakistani troops. Our soldiers fought chivalrously throughout the night. With the advent of the pink dawn the Indian troops had captured the hillock. Here the pyre of the martyrs was silent and tLere on the hillock the tricolour fluttered.

Repairs of airfields

There were no airfields for facilitating the landing of Indian Airforce men. Wherever they existed, they were in a pitiable condition. Not to speak of the planes even people could not walk on those runways. There was need for their quick repair and renovation. But it was not possible to arrange a big force of labourers. Even if thousands of labourers could be arranged it was not possible to pay them their wages in those conditions. There was need for such devoted labourers who would work free of cost for repairing the airfields. Therefore, the eyes of the Army officers and citizens fell on the RSS activists. They knew that the RSS activists were dedicated and sacrificing.

The matter was discussed with Sangh leaders. Everyone was ready. On receiving the directions, thousands of RSS workers jumped into the field. The repair and the renovation of the airstrips in Srinagar, at Poonch and in Jammu were taken in hand. The work on these airfields was carried out round the clock. Everyday the RSS activists would come out in their shorts to work on the airfields for which the Sangh made arrangement for the tools. The workers would carry food from their houses. After working continuously for several hours these RSS workers would sit together to partake their food and it was lovely sight of love and affection.

Under their principle of "we shall donate everything to the country and in return we shall not accept anything", these RSS workers gave up their trade. went on leave from the Government services and abandoned their domeotic happiness to work round the clock for making these three airstrips worthy for landing within the stipulated time.

Remained steadfast against bullets

In the meantime there was a report indicating that 1200 Hindus and Sikhs had been surrounded by the enemy at Palandhari, 20 kms north-west of Kotli, and.their lives were in danger. The Sangh people, under the leadership of Mr. Kedar Nath Sahni, met the Army authorities requesting them to evacuate 1200 Hindus and Sikhs who were counting the time of death at Palandhari. The Army authorities realised the gravity of the situation but refused to provide any help on the plea that the number of troops they had was even insufficient to protect the town and as such how could they send the soldiers out of the town. And when the Sangh workers insisted by informing the Army officers that a big number of Hindus were counting days of their life, the 'authorities were moved. They agreed to send 31 soldiers under the leadership of one Lieutenant Ishwari Singh and with them went one police inspector, Mr. Hari Singh, and about 100 RSS activists.

The report about the plan of evacuating people from Palandhari by the Army and the Sangh workers was sent by a Muslim Tehsildar to Zaildar and Nambardar of Sarsave who were Muslims. The twa passed the report to the tribals.

Next morning 30 Army jawans, 12-15 poiicemen and about 100 RSS activists left for Palandhari under the leadership of Lt. Ishwari Singh. The moment the caravan started climbing the ascent, it came under indiscriminate heavy fire. The enemy had fortified itself on the higher elevations. Since the enemy was equipped with machineguns, mortars and bombs, its attack became fierce.

Despite being surrounded unexpectedly from all the four sides, the battle lasted for several hours. Not a single Hindu soldier and RSS activists turned back even being in a smaller number than the enemy and despite having meagre weapons and ammunition. Their steps were not shaken despite the roar of the rain of bullets. While killing the enemy troops, they also met death one by one.

One feels a wave of sacrifice in one's mind while wishing to touch the blood-red soil of Palandhari where the soldiers and the RSS workers shed their blood. Repeated salutes to such brave sacrifices.

Sheikh's dictatorship and Praja Parishad's agitation

The pro-Pak and anti-India sentiments of the Sheikh had been exposed in front of the entire world. In the Congress, too, the mistrust against him was increasing. The people of India had become aware of his anti-national and treacherous attempts. But by accepting a plebiscite, Nehru had forged a dangerous agreement with Sheikh Abdullah which was dangerous not only for the integrity of India but had put a question mark on the future of 20 lakh people in Jammu and Ladakh. In comparison to the rest of the country, Kashmir was given a special status. The flag, the constitution etc were made separate for Kashmir. Dr. Shyamaprasad Mookherjee apprised the Parliament of the dangers of this agreement but Nehru did not agree. He even did not think it proper to talk to the peoples' representatives of Jammu and Ladakh.

When people of Jammu started feeling the impact of this agreement, it gave birth to the embers of a revolt. The RSS workers decided to oppose the Sheikh stoutly after visualising the anti-Hindu stance of the Sheikh. With the slogan of one constitution, one symbol and one leader a new party, named Praja Parished, was formed under the leadership of Pt. Prernnath Dogra to start a powerful but peaceful agitation. Thousands of Sangh activists took to the streets for a sacrifice for the country's integrity and unity. Many leaders and workers of Praja Parishad went to Delhi to apprise the Government of India, members of Parliament and leaders of different political parties of the separatist activities of Sheikh Abdullah. They met also Nehru. But it seemed that he was not prepared to listen to even a word against Sheikh Abdullah. Therefore, Dr. Shyama Prasad took the historical decision of supporting this struggle.

A powerful Satyagrah was launched in Delhi and Pathankot. RSS workers left their demostic worries and courted arrest. Dr. Shyamaprasad tried to mediate between the Government and leaders of Praja Parishad but failed. According to the words of Mr. A.B. Vajpaye, "Nehru's obduracy made all his (Dr. S. Prasad's) efforts completely unsuccessful. The man who prided in announcing that he would not give a needle-tip land without a fight reminded one of the story of Daryodhana and Nehru refused even to talk to Praja Parishad". And there was no other alternative left for Dr. Mookherjee except for blowing the conch of agitation. In the absence of any agreemnt taking shape he was committed to launch a peaceful satyagrah and agitation in support of the people of Jammu.

Martyrdom of Dr. Shyamaprasad

After ensuring peoples' support for the agitation, Dr. Prasad decided to test on the touchstone of Nehru's statement that Kashmir was 100 per cent part of India. In this context he decided to come to Jammu without a permit. While leaving Delhi for a two-day tour of Punjab on May 9, he issued a statement that his purpose of visiting Jammu was not to foment tension and trouble but his aim was to make another bid to resolve the discord through peaceful and honourable means. While commenting on his decision to enter Jammu without a permit he said that as a citizen of India he had the full right to visit any part of the country and since Nehru would say everyday that Kashmir was 100 per cent part of India he had decided to go there without any permit.

This step of Dr. Mookherjee received powerful appreciation in the entire country. Between Deihi and Pathanot thousands of men and women greeted him at many stations with the slogan "abolish permit system" and he was assured of their support. It was expected that Dr. Prasad would be arrested before reaching Pathankot. But out of the scare of the Supreme Court, the Government allowed him not only to reach Pathankot but also assured that it would not take any step aganist him when he would enter Jammu.

The Deputy Commissioner of Gurdaspur District, Mr. Vashisht, informed Dr. Prasad at Pathankot that he could visit Jammu without any permit and the Government of India will not create any hurdle in his way. He also informed him that in Jammu Bakshi Ghulam Mohd. would meet him. But when he entered into the Jammu border alongwith his associates, the Kashmir militiamen stopped him on the Ravi bridge. There, the Superintendent of Police, Kathua, directed him not to enter into the state border. Dr. Prasad refused to accept the order and was arrested under the Kashmir Security Act.

Prior to his arrest he told people, in a message, that "I have entered into Jammu and Kashmir, but in the capacity of a prisoner". His message spread like lightning in the entire country. Satyagrahis, from various corners, started entering into Jammu and Kashmir without permits. With one stroke of Dr. Prasad the artificial wall of permit system between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India crumbled and with it Nehru 's lie that Kashmir was 100 per cent part of India stood exposed.

After his arrest Dr. Mookherjee was taken to Srinagar where on the 43rd day of his detention he was declared dead in mysterious circumstances on June 23.

Letter of Dr. Shyama Prasad's mother to Nehru

".... I know he cannot be brought back to life. But I want to know what role your Government has played in this shocking event 60 that people can know the reasons behind this tragedy in this independent country. Allow justice to take its course while dealing with any crime of an individual, even if he is occupying a high post, so that people are allowed to remain alert against such criminals and there was no scope for any other mother like me to wail and weep over such a type of tragedy."

Nehru's reply

"... I have enquired from those people who know the reality. I can say only this much that I stand by truth and there is no mystery around this incident .."

Yogmaya Devi's reply

"... I do not want any clarification from you, I want an inquiry. Your arguments are hollow and you are afraid of facing the truth. Remember, you are answerable to the People and God. I treat the Kashmir Government guilty of the murder of my son and I charge it with having killed my son. I hold your Government guilty of concealing the matter and of attempts at manoeuvring ..."

As a result of the rejection of the demand for an enquiry, people of India raised one voice saying that Dr. Mookherjee was killed. The life of a national leader was finished for achieving hateful political goal.

Success of Satyagrah

The Satyagrah was suspended for 13 days after the death of Dr. Mookherjee. In the meantime, Nehru issued a direct appeal requesting people to call offthe Satyagrah. It was for the first time in the history that a direct appeal for calling off the Satyagrah was issued by a ruler. The result of the confabulations was that a decision was taken to end the Satyagrah. On July 7, the agitation was called off on the appeal of Sh. Premnath Dogra and the Government was given an opportunity for changing its policies in arder to ensure integration of Kashmir with India, for which assurance had been given by Nehru, Dr Katju and the Bakshi.

Whatever Dr. Prasad had said was achieved. The Sheikh was dismissed and arrested. Nehru, by accepting his mistake, expressed his regrets over the evil deeds of Sheikh Abdullah and held talks with the leaders of Praja Parishad. The Kashmir Constituent Assembly adopted a resolution announcing merger of Kashmir with India and the President of India issued a special notification on May 14, 1954 for the implementation of all the clauses of the Delhi Agreement.

Copy right of the work is Narender Sehgal

free non profit reproduction

Tshering22 · 08-08-11, 01:21 AM

So much for the agency being blamed as an accomplice with RAW to create havoc in the LAND OF PURE eh?

Wonder where is Chidambaram who keeps barking about "saffron terrorists" whereas his own louts are the real terrorists in India.

bhramos · 08-08-11, 01:39 AM

good article.......
RSS Good Job.

Virendra · 08-08-11, 02:36 PM

Those contributions of RSS aren't so invisible, I and many others in my circle knew of the ammunition box incident already and appreciate the work done by RSS.

Casper · 08-08-11, 04:49 PM

Hats off to AV .

Thank you very much for this post .

shuvo@y2k10 · 08-08-11, 08:53 PM

may the people of india realize the contributions of rss for the sake of the nation and understand the nefarious designs of congress and "secular" media in maligning them.

ejazr · 09-08-11, 08:24 PM

I am not sure who the author of this article is and would appreciate if someone can provide more details on who he is. However, to say Sheikh Abdullah was "traitorous" and RSS the only reason for J&K accession is missing the reality. If the author wanted to highlight some contribution of RSS that is well and good but a complete picture of how the accession took place is not clearly provided here.

A perusal of official documents and speeches of Sheikh Abdullah clearly indicate that well before independence, Sheikh Abdullah had sided with the INC and dismissed the Muslim League. Jinnah had actually better relations with the Maharaja than Sheikh Abdulla and had declared that the Muslim League had nothing to do with his agitations against the Maharaja when he had launched the Quit Kashmir movement alongwith the Quit India movement. Later, it was under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah and National Conference workers almost all Kashmiri muslims that actually fought against the tribal invaders and were the core of the initial resistance movements. This is what became the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry regiment. You can read up the history of this regiment on the Indian army website. Apart from that, Sheikh Abdulla was made the head of the emergency administration of J&K after he was released from prison by the Maharaja. So while the Maharaja had run away his army had collapsed, it was his administration and the NC volunteers that held the tribals at bay until the Indian army was airlifted into the valley.

Here are a few excerpts of the speech Sheikh Abdullah gave in the UN. This is a primary source document

The subject of the dispute before the Security Council is not the maladministration of the Princely State of Kashmir... the dispute revolves around the fact that Kashmir acceded legally and constitutionally to the Dominion of India... the tribesmen across the border have poured into my country. They have been helped and are being helped by the Pakistan Government, with the result that there is the possibility of a greater conflagration between India and Pakistan. But (the representative of Pakistan) completely denied that any support was being given by the Government of Pakistan to either the tribesmen or those who are in revolt within the State against the constituted authority...

But then this simple issue has been confused... Today Pakistan has become the champion of our liberty. I know very well that in 1946, when I raised the cry of "Quit Kashmir," the leader of the Pakistan Government, who is the Governor-General now, Mr.Mohammad Ali Jinnah, opposed my Government, declaring that this movement was a movement of a few renegades and that Muslims as such had nothing to do with the movement.

The Muslim Conference, which has been talked about so much, opposed my movement and declared its loyalty to the Prince. The representative of Pakistan now says that Sheikh Abdullah, once the supporter of "Quit Kashmir," has joined hands with the Maharaja of Kashmir....side..... But the State of Jammu and Kashmir, and its people, kept calm....

Why was that so? It was because I and my organization never believed in the formula that Muslims and Hindus form separate nations. We do not believe in the two-nation theory, nor in communal hatred or communalism itself. We believed that religion had no place in politics. Therefore, when we launched our movement of "Quit Kashmir" it was not only Muslims who suffered, but our Hindu and Sikh comrades as well....

The situation was worsening day by day and the minority in our State was feeling very nervous. As a result tremendous pressure was brought to bear upon the State administration to release me and my colleagues. The situation outside demanded the release of workers of National Conference, along with its leader, and we were accordingly set free.
..
..
While the raiders came to our land, massacred thousands of people -- mostly Hindus and Sikhs, but Muslims too -- abducted thousands of girls, Hindu, Sikhs and Muslims alike, looted our property and almost reached the gates of our summer capital, Srinagar, the result was that the civil, military and police administration failed. The Maharaja, in the dead of the night, left the capital along with his courtiers, and the result was absolute panic. There was no one to take over control. In that hour of crisis, the National Conference came forward with 10,000 volunteers and took over the administration of the country. They started guarding the banks, the offices and houses of every person in the capital. This is the manner in which the administration changed hands. We were de facto in charge of the administration. The Maharaja, later on, gave it a legal form....

I was explaining how the dispute arose -- how Pakistan wanted to force this position of slavery upon us. Pakistan had no interest in our liberation or it would not have opposed our freedom movement. Pakistan would have supported us when thousands of my countrymen were behind bars and hundreds were shot to death. The Pakistani leaders and Pakistani papers were heaping abuse upon the people of Kashmir who were suffering these tortures.

Then, suddenly, Pakistan comes before the bar of the world as the champion of liberty of the people of Jammu and Kashmir....

I had thought all along that the world had got rid of Hitlers and Goebbels, but, from what has happened and what is happening in my poor country, I am convinced that they have only transmigrated their souls into Pakistan...

Excerpts From The Speech Made By Mr.Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah (India) In The Security Council Meeting No.241 Held On 5 February 1948

Does this sound pro-pak and anti-India given the speech was made in the UN. So to raise such a contention is twisting history.

The other important fact the above article misses out is that Mokherjee had eventually favoured a regional autonomy solution for J&K atleast according to Balraj Puri. Balraj Puri is a Kashmir expert and has been involved in many negotiations and also mediated the famous Indira-Abdulla accord of 1975. So when he claims something, there is weight in his word. This is a MUST READ for every one to know the history by a person who was personally there.

Kashmir Policy of BJP Lastupdate:- Sun, 6 Feb 2011 18:30:00 GMT GreaterKashmir.com
.......
As a personal witness to events on the eve of the independence of the country and after, when none of the present BJP leaders was around, let me set the record straight.
Jammu Ekta Sammelan had also paid tributes to Pandit Prem Nath Dogra, the leader of Praja Parishad, the Jammu affiliate of the Bhartiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP, for his role as leader of the agitation for ‘full accession of the State in 1952.’ He, incidentally, was also the leader of the Hindu Sabha before 1947, which supported Maharaja’s aspiration for independence of the State, and opposed its accession to India. At that time, it was Nehru’s initiative and his friendship with Sheikh Abdullah, who was the undisputed leader of the Kashmiris, and whose support made accession to India possible with overwhelming popular support.
Again, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukerjee, the founder president of Jana Sangh, had entered to the State to lend his support to the agitation of the Praja Parishad for “ek vidhan, ek predhan, ek nishan.” But it is not correct to say that he broke the permit system that had been imposed by the state government which Indian citizens had to obtain to enter the state. The system was imposed by the Ministry of Defence of the government of India. All citizens, whether of the state or the rest of India, had to get a permit from the Ministry of Defence to enter the State. It was relaxed in the case of Mukerjee.
Mukerjee had entered into a prolonged correspondence with Nehru and Abdullah. He had said: “We would readily agree to treat the Valley with Sheikh Abdullah as its head in any special manner and for such time as he would like but Jammu and Ladakh must he fully integrated with India.” In reply the Sheikh in his letter dated February 4, 1953, said: “You are not perhaps unaware of the attempts that are being made by Pakistan to force a decision by disrupting the unity of the State. Once the ranks of the State people are divided, any solution can be foisted on them.” The Sheikh further reminded the Jana Sangh leader that he happened to be a part of the government of India when arrangement over J&K was made, including Article 370.
Eventually, Mukerjee agreed to withdraw the agitation vide his letter to Nehru on February 17, 1953, “provided the implementation of the July (1952) agreement will be made at the next session of Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly and the principle of autonomy will apply to Jammu and of course Ladakh and Kashmir Valley.” Nehru reminded him that principle of autonomy to the three regions was a part of the July agreement. Evidently, they could not agree on a face saving formula till unfortunately Mukerjee died.
But the agitation was withdrawn on the conditions suggested by Mukerjee. The Parishad leaders were released on July 2, 1953, and invited to Delhi to meet Nehru on July 3 where Parishad finally announced to withdraw the agitation as regional autonomy had been conceded. Before that the state government had sent a 40 page draft on Regional Autonomy to the underground leader of the Parishad, Durga Dass Varma which he returned after approval.
However, according to Balraj Madhok, who in later years became president of the Jana Sangh, his party had to withdraw support to the commitments of Mukerjee and the Praja Parishad under a directive from Nagpur (RSS headquarters). The party and its successor the BJP, henceforth, started a relentless tirade against autonomy of the State and regional autonomy. When the State government appointed a Regional Autonomy Committee headed by me, Jana Sangh was the only party which refused to meet the committee and opposed its formation in the State assembly and outside.
BJP leader in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj delighted her Dogra audience in Jammu by reciting a Dogri verse “Khund Mithi Dogrein Di Boli” (the language of Dogras is sweet), She may be reminded that we, in the Dogri movement, were criticized by the Jana Sangh for being parochial and not accepting Hindi as our language. The party had started a similar campaign at that time against Punjabi and in favour of Hindi in Punjab. A renowned Dogri poet, Dinu Bhai Pant, offered a compromise in his Dogri poem which said, “Hindi is our grandmother while Dogri is our mother. There should not be any clash between the two.” However, I gratefully acknowledge that Vajpayee and Advani, when they were in power, agreed to grant constitutional recognition to Dogri after a series of meetings I had with both of them.
The BJP reiterated its demand for abrogation of Article 370 at the Jammu Sammelan to end discrimination against Jammu. As pointed out above that the article was included in the Constitution, when Mukerjee was a member of Union cabinet, and he had supported it in his correspondence with Nehru. Again, when the party headed the government at the centre, its leader told Parliament that it had no power to abrogate the article. But how is the problem of Jammu related to its abrogation, which cannot be solved unless the region gets share in political power that only regional autonomy can ensure which the BJP had been opposing?
Lastly BJP’s contribution to alienation of Muslims of Jammu, who constitute a majority in five out of ten districts of the region and a sizeable minority in others and are not followers of the separatist leaders of Kashmir, is no service to the cause of Jammu or the country. Though the party no longer supports division of the State, its Ladakh unit demands Union Territory status for it, and separation from the State. The demand has divided the region into Buddhist majority Leh and Muslim majority Kargil districts, as it has absolutely no support in the latter district.
The party has learnt and unlearnt its Kashmir policy in its various Avatars, Hindu Sabha, Praja Parishad, Jana Sangh and BJP. But it has still to go a long way to play a positive role in a vital State of India.

A.V. · 09-08-11, 08:27 PM

Ejaz sir that was a great post by you , thanks i will find about the original author and link you with some more of the articles from his book that he had written.

maybe we can read and better debate on the whole issue better , on this thread i have just posted a chapter excerpt of his book

S.A.T.A · 09-08-11, 11:25 PM

How does one reconcile with the fact that,soon after Kashmir's accession,Sheikh Abdullah started his clamor for the Kashmir's right to self determination,not significantly different from Hurriyat Chairman Gilani's oft stated position.It was his going back on the promise that the Kashmir accession was settled affair,that forced Nehru to send his one time close friend to prison in 1953.Sheikh's idea of of accession of Kashmir with India,apparently was entirely different what the Indian leadership led by Nehru had in my mind.Sheikh Abdullah was not entirely convinced that his opposition to Pakistan in favor of Indian was entirely correct,hence the harping for self determination,Sheikh was the spiritual mentor of the Plebiscite front which was militant in its call for Indian to hold Kashmir plebiscite,Pt.Nehru would never trust Sheikh again.

Which begs the question,why Nehru's daughter trusted him to reinstate him in 1975.Indira Gandhi committed a remarkable blunder to push Sheikh back into the Kashmir limelight,what prompted Indira to restore Shiekh as the head of Kashmir govt,why would Indira Gandhi enter in to an accord,that practically demolished two decades of concerted effort to complete integrate Kashmir Into India.Sheikh offer to drop the plebiscite demand was not even a concession,considering the India had smashed Pakistan into two pieces and ensuing Shimla accord made no mention of holding any plebiscite,with regards to Kashmir.

When Omar Abdullah says that Kashmir had acceded to indian,but had no merged with indian,or that the Kashmir's pre-1953 political status must be restored,we know where he is coming from.

Singh · 10-08-11, 09:25 AM

This is from Chapter 19 "Memorial of Mistakes: Converted Kashmir; A bitter saga of religious conversion" by Narender Sehgal

KS · 15-08-11, 02:10 PM

Not only Kashmir but the RSS role in the liberation of Goa from Portuguese also is not known to many.

Hats off to this organisation and my respect for them has grown manifold after reading this.

panduranghari · 06-05-12, 11:50 PM

Fantastic Article. Many thanks A.V.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh - Kashmir accession Effort

A.V.

Tshering22

bhramos

Virendra

Casper

shuvo@y2k10

ejazr

A.V.

S.A.T.A

Singh

KS

panduranghari

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