The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday celebrated October 26 as ‘Accession Day’ to commemorate the arrival of the Indian Army in Jammu & Kashmir on this day in 1947, followed by signing of the Instrument of Accession by then Dogra monarch Maharaja Hari Singh.
Senior BJP leaders addressed party supporters at Jawahar Nagar area in Srinagar. “The Accession Day has existed since 1947. It was some local political parties that misguided youth, resulting in bloodshed and filling of graveyards, all these years. These parties are still yearning for violence in Kashmir. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5, 2019, ended their propaganda,” BJP leader Darakhshan Andrabi said.
Several Srinagar-based BJP leaders, who spoke on the occasion, said the day needs to be celebrated because Kashmir acceded to the Union of India permanently. “The Instrument of Accession was a monumental step endorsed by (National Conference leader) Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, formally merging the State of J&K with the union of India,” she said.
In Jammu, a function was held at the party headquarters. “The Congress and the National Conference (NC) institutionalised lies around the Accession Day. It was these parties that created hurdles and delayed accession of J&K with India in 1947. Otherwise, J&K would have acceded to India on August 15, 1947,” BJP leader G.L. Raina said.
He said it was because of these political parties that the Maharaja faced humiliation and later exile in 1947. “The Accession Day is important to apprise people about the role played by these political parties in 1947,” he added.
The Central rule in J&K after August 5, 2019, designated October 26 as the Accession Day and declared it an official holiday. Meanwhile, J&K’s regional parties, the NC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), did not issue any statement on the occasion.
