New Delhi: The principal opposition party Congress today attacked BJP president Amit Shah for blaming India’s first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s “historic blunder” for the current impasse in Jammu and Kashmir.
The party said that Shah should know history of his party leaders that Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was "as much a part" of the decision as Jawaharlal Nehru on referring the Kashmir issue to UN.
"The decision on Kashmir was taken by the Cabinet of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru of which Mukherjee was a member. In the meeting of the Cabinet which took the decision on taking Kashmir issue to the UN, Mukherjee did not make any point nor is there any contemporary report in the media about it. Therefore Mukherjee was as much a part of the decision as Nehru was," senior party leader S Jaipal Reddy said.
Besides, he said when Nehru's government decided on special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 371 that time too Mukherjee was a member of Nehru's Cabinet.
"Mukherjee resigned from the Cabinet on the ground that Sheikh Abdullah as Leader of the Jammu and Kashmir government was not being properly checkmated," he said suggesting that Mukherhjee never made an issue of representation to UN or Article 371 at that time.
Reddy also emphasised that Mukherjee cannot be projected as the unifying force of pre-Partition India because "unlike Congress leaders Mukherjee was pleading loudly for partition of Bengal".
"Mukherjee was accused of being involved in the 1946 riots of Dacca. So why pit Mukherjee against Nehru when record of Mukherjee is not lily white," said Reddy.
Taking a dig at the BJP chief, the former Union Minister said, "Amit Shah does not know history. He should at least know history of his party leader. He is much to new to national politics. He must know history of his party leaders."
Shah had yesterday blamed Nehru accusing him of having committed a "historic blunder" on Kashmir and had criticised the then Congress leadership for the Partition.
Referring to the declaration of truce when Pakistan-backed tribal raiders in 1948 were being repulsed in Kashmir, he said if such a decision was not made, the Jammu and Kashmir problem would not have existed today.
"Suddenly, without any reason... the reason is not known even today, truce was declared. Never has any leader of the country made such a historic blunder. If Jawaharlalji had not declared a ceasefire at that time, the Kashmir issue would not have existed," Shah had said speaking at an event here.
With PTI Inputs
