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| May 27, 1949 A Black Day | | Delhi conspired against Jammu to pamper Kashmir | |
STARK REALITY -- II
RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 28: In reply to Pandit Maitra, Ayyangar said: “Kashmir means Jammu and Kashmir”. (Syed Ali Shah Geelani and most of the Kashmiri leaders also say so.) He also justified his motion and said: “In the Draft (Indian) Constitution, the Schedule mentions the State of Kashmir” and “in the list that is attached to the Constituent Assembly Rules, it is already described as Kashmir”. He urged the members not to make this an issue and “let this description of the State of Kashmir stand, because if you change it, we will have to change other things which are already in our Statutes and Rules”. In other words, Ayyangar expressed his unwillingness to insert the words “Jammu and” before Kashmir. What he said failed to carry conviction with Pandit Maitra and Prof. Shah. This is evident from the questions they raised in response to the lengthy statement of Ayyangar on the nomenclature of the State.
Convinced that Ayyangar would not be in a position to convince Pandit Maitra and Prof. Shah, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself took the stage. He defended Ayyangar to the hilt and said that his stand was “correct”. He said: “I have been connected with Kashmir in many ways, and, in a sense, I belong to Kashmir more particularly than to any part of India. I have been connected with the fight of freedom in Kashmir (read fight against the Dogra rule)…And so, if I venture to say anything in this House, I do so with greater authority than Prof. Shah can presume to have on the subject…” After saying so, Nehru made a lengthy statement to counter the arguments of Prof. Shah and in praise of Sheikh Abdullah and his rabidly anti-Jammu and communal NC and the 1946 Quit Kashmir Movement that had been directed against the Dogras. At the same time, he suggested “a small change in the wording of the motion” with a view to “removing” what he called “a slight confusion in the people’s mind”. What he actually suggested was that the “State be described as Kashmir State, and then putting within brackets, the words otherwise known as the State of Kashmir and Jammu”.
It needs to be recalled that the State at no point of time during 1846-1949 was styled as the “State of Kashmir and Jammu”. It was always known as the State of Jammu and Kashmir, with Jammu as its permanent capital. It should also be underlined that the practice of moving the State Secretariat from Jammu to Kashmir and back was started during the time of maharaja Ranbir Singh (1857-1885) for reasons political, the most noteworthy being the British design to cause anti-maharaja stir in the Valley and establish their foothold there and in and around Gilgit in order to check the Russian activities across the border.
Anyway, Prime Minister Nehru’s formula did not click. Nor did it discourage Prof. Shah in his efforts to enlist the support of the Constituent Assembly in favour of his amendment. With the result, the deadlock continued. Ultimately, Ayyangar moved an amendment to his motion and suggested that the name of the State be read as the State of Kashmir (otherwise known as the State of Jammu and Kashmir)”. The Constituent Assembly adopted the amended motion. Thus, Jammu, which had ruled over Kashmir for 101 years, found space in the nomenclature of the State, though within brackets. This happened primarily because of the efforts put in by the unyielding Prof. Shah, with Pandit Maitra extending him full support. Had they, like other members of the Constituent Assembly, remained mum or toed the official line, Jammu would have totally disappeared from the nomenclature of the State (Constituent Assembly Debates, Book No 3, Vol VIII, May 16, 1949 to June 16, 1949, Reprinted by Lok Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi, Second Reprint, 1989, pp. 357-373).
It is indeed intriguing that the attitude of New Delhi and the Congress towards the people of Jammu province has not undergone any change whatever and that they continue to outrage their sentiments in order to further pamper and appease the already rather pampered and appeased Kashmir. When will New Delhi and the Congress, or for that matter all the national outfits, including the BJP, adopt a balanced approach towards the people of Jammu and the Muslims of Kashmir? Are they waiting for the people of Jammu province to do what the people in the Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh have been doing to achieve separation? Pushing the people of Jammu province to the wall would not be in the larger national interest. A strong Jammu is the national requirement. (Concluded)
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