Earlier, Karan Singh, son of Maharaja Hari Singh, had endorsed the demand of the locals to declare 23 September a public holiday
Senior Congress leader Dr Karan Singh. PTI
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Karan Singh has responded to the Jammu and Kashmir government declaring Maharaja Hari Singh’s birthday as a public holiday.
Karan Singh said, “I’m delighted. It happened after a lot of effort. I congratulate the young generation of Jammu that carried forward the efforts. They did it together,nobody opposed.”
“When my sons Ajatshatru and Vikramaditya were members of the Legislative Council, they had made the House pass a resolution about the holiday. Nobody carried it forward. I’d like to thank PM Modi, I too had written to him for it,” he added.
Earlier, Karan Singh, son of Maharaja Hari Singh, had endorsed the demand of the locals to declare 23 September a public holiday.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to declare Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary on 23 September as a public holiday, an official spokesman said on Thursday night.
A notification in this regard will be issued soon, he added.
The announcement was made by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha following his meeting with a delegation comprising prominent political leaders, members of Yuva Rajput Sabha, civil society members, including head of J-K transport union, at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday, the spokesman said.
“The government has taken a decision to declare Maharaja Hari Singh Ji’s birthday as a public holiday. Maharaja Hari Singh was a great educationist, progressive thinker, social reformer and a towering man of ideas and ideals. The public holiday will be a fitting tribute to Maharaja Hari Singh Ji’s rich legacy,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
A four-member committee was constituted by the administration earlier this year on the directions of the Lt Governor to examine the public demand regarding holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier in the day, the Jammu and Kashmir BJP said Sinha has agreed its demand to declare the birth anniversary of the Maharaja as a public holiday in the Union Territory.
“The Lieutenant Governor has announced holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh,” senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana told reporters outside the Raj Bhavan here.
He said a joint delegation met Sinha to press for the long pending demand of the people to declare holiday on the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh.
“I congratulate the people of Jammu and Kashmir that their aspiration and feelings have been addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah ji and LG Manoj Sinha ji. They gave approval to the demand,” Rana said.
Former deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Nirmal Singh said the demand raised by Dogras for the past 72 years has been addressed.
“It is a tribute to Maharaja who did accession of J-K with India and was a great reformer and a visionary king,” he said.
With inputs from agencies
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