Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Saturday accused the National Conference (NC) of misusing Maharaja Hari Singh’s name for its survival in Jammu and said wrong facts are being attributed to the Late Maharaja which amounts to showing utter disrespect and disregard to the rich heritage and legacy of the last Dogra ruler of Jammu & Kashmir.

Addressing the BJP office bearers and party workers here, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the leadership of NC has been trying this trick with the people of Jammu ever since it was ousted from power but now this “misguided craft” is meeting its natural fate of diminishing returns. One of the biggest blasphemies committed by NC is to drag the name of Maharaja Hari Singh whenever they wish to defend the State Subject Law of the erstwhile state which was “masterminded” by Sheikh Abdullah.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, there is no comparison between the State Subject Law that existed before 5th August, 2019 and the one which was introduced by Maharaja Hari Singh in 1927. Elaborating further, he said, Maharaja’s State Subject Law was quite porous and left enough room for giving citizenship to settlers from outside who could benefit Jammu & Kashmir in terms of entrepreneurship, science promotion, education, arts etc. It was under this clause, he recalled, that Sir Ram Nath Chopra was invited to settle in Jammu and established the first ever Drug Research Laboratory while the entire Chopra family of Bollywood fame including Ramanand Sagar and Vidhu Vinod Chora had got settled here.

Dr Jitendra Singh also contradicted the rhetoric raised by NC and PDP that the provisions of Article 370 were envisaged by Maharaja Hari Singh. Citing facts and figures, he said, history bears out that Hari Singh signed the same Draft of Instrument of Accession which was signed by the other heads of erstwhile princely states.

He reiterated the demand that if the NC and Congress do not approve of the Indian Parliament having passed the Bill to abrogate Article 370 then in the interest of Parliamentary propriety, they should resign from their membership of the Parliament.

Dr Jitendra Singh called upon the party workers to set their own narrative and not become defensive before the opposition parties. He said, we have the facts, figures and confidence to defend the newly enacted Land Laws as well as the other laws enacted in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir after August 5th, 2019.