No holiday on Hari Singh’s birthday, J&K’s deputy CM heckled

Hari Singh was the last Dogra ruler, who signed instrument of accession with the Union of India on October 26, 1947.

Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister, Nirmal Singh, was allegedly heckled by people from the Dogra community over PDP-BJP coalition government’s failure to declare September 23 as a state holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh.

Hari Singh was the last Dogra ruler, who signed instrument of accession with the Union of India on October 26, 1947.

Singh, who reached the Tawi Bridge to take part in the celebrations was speaking at a function when scores of people, including the Dogra youths, wearing black T-shirts and carrying saffron flags, raised slogans against Singh and the state government.

The people were not ready to listen to what they called “lame excuses” of the deputy CM and gheraoed him. Some of them also allegedly heckled the him. Following the uproar, Singh had to cut short his speech and was escorted out by a large contingent of police from the venue.

The protesters demanded deputy CM’s resignation and accused the BJP of betraying the mandate of the people of Jammu region.

Responding to the critics, Singh in a statement said that some people were doing politics over Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary.

“These people always do divisive politics and are doing it today as well,” the deputy CM said.

The BJP, in 2014 assembly polls, had won 25 assembly seats from Jammu region out of a total of 37. It didn’t win any seat from Kashmir, despite the party’s “focused” attention to the Valley.

Meanwhile, to celebrate the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh, Team Jammu organised functions at 75 different places across Jammu province, from Poonch to Lakhanpur and Kishtwar to Arnia where the enthusiastic volunteers distributed sweets.

The J&K high court Bar Association also celebrated the birth anniversary.