Jammu, Oct 30: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh on Monday said that the partition of India was the “gravest blunder” in the recent history of the world and a “self-styled plan” of a few “ambitious” individuals who allowed themselves to be played in the hands of a “divisive design” of the British rulers.
The partition, Dr Jitendra Singh said, was vociferously opposed not only by Mahatma Gandhi but also across the sections of the masses including many Muslim intellectuals who constituted the Progressive Writers’ Association. In the aftermath, more than a million people lost their lives and manifold more were rendered homeless in a bloody exchange of populations between India and the newly carved out Pakistan, he said.
The union minister said the Two- Nation Theory which was given as an argument in support of partition also proved to be misguided as was evident by the separation of the then East Pakistan to form Bangladesh.
While delivering “Brigadier Rajinder Singh Memorial Public Lecture” on “Accession of J&K’ organised by the Department of Defence & Strategic Studies headed by its Director Dr Virender Koundal in the University of Jammu, Dr Singh said, “If only the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had allowed his Home Minister to handle Jammu & Kashmir in the same manner as Sardar was handling the other princely States of India, the history of Indian subcontinent would have been different and PoJK would have been a part of India.”
“One of the Nehruvian blunders was to declare unilateral ceasefire precisely when the Indian Army was about to retrieve back the areas of J&K captured by Pakistan which are now part of PoJK,” the minister said, adding that Pandit Nehru, despite opposition from Gandhi and others, tacitly allowed Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s demand for partition to succeed.
Dr Jitendra, while appreciating the role of the Department of Strategic and Regional Studies, University of Jammu and Jammu Kashmir Study Centre for organizing such an “important” function, said that the son of the soil Brigadier Rajinder Singh single-handedly fought with the enemy forces and repelled the invaders up to Uri but again the unilateral ceasefire declaration by the then Prime Minister Nehru led to partition of Jammu & Kashmir also. He said that such decisions of the Congress party and its rulers are still costing India its land and resources.
Dr Singh further termed the Indus Water Treaty-like agreements as under-implemented leading to underutilisation of our own water resources.
The minister, while elaborating on another brunt of the partition, quoted the example of Article 370 which kept Jammu & Kashmir underdeveloped for decades. “To oblige Sheikh Abdullah, the Congress government led by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru not only antagonised Maharaja Hari Singh but also allowed sentiments of separatism to be nourished by the Sheikh,” he said, adding, “Maharaja Hari Singh was never at fault. The delay in accession happened on account of dilly-dallying by Nehru who wanted to impose Sheikh Abdullah on the Maharaja as well on the State.”
The Memorial Lecture was organised by the Department of Defence & Strategic Studies headed by its Director Dr Virender Koundal in the University of Jammu.
The function was presided over by Vice-Chancellor SKAUST Jammu Prof B.N.Tripathi while Brigadier Retired Goverdhan Singh Jamwal was the Guest of Honour.
