Former Chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir and Chairperson of People’s Democratic Party Tuesday lashed out at the Bhartiya Janta Party for removing the photograph of Sheikh Abdullah from the Police media.
On Monday, the Jammu Kashmir admin ordered the replacement of the Sheikh Abdullah’s inscription on Police medal with the Indian National emblem, a move that has evoked widespread condemnation.
“Removing his photograph will not affect the personality of Sheikh Abdullah who has spent his life serving common people in Jammu Kashmir. It just reflects the mentality of the BJP Government. They should think that Sheikh Abdullah risked his life-long credibility by merging with India despite a Muslim majority in the region and the Government’s move of removing him from the Police medal is just a reflection of the admin’s mindset,” she stated.
Senior Journalists, politicians and common people took to social media and expressed their anger over the move.
Senior Journalist Anuradha Bhasin took to Twitter and wrote, “Sheikh Abdullah wasn’t invincible. He made several blunders but his immense contribution to politics and society can’t be ignored. Official erasures don’t erase memories. They only reinforce the latter.”
Ifra Jan, the additional spokesperson of National Conference wrote, “When Sher – e – Kashmir car would to pass through the streets, mothers would gather its dust so that they’d apply it over the foreheads of their ailing children. Usko kaise mitaoge?”
When Sher – e – Kashmir car would to pass through the streets, mothers would gather its dust so that they'd apply it over the foreheads of their ailing children.
Usko kaise mitaoge?
— Ifra Jan (@IfraJan_) May 23, 2022
“As John F Kennedy said, “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death. Sher-e-Kashmir is not just a prefix that you can erase. Sher-e-Kashmir was, is and will always be the only Sher-e-Kashmir. #SheikhAbdullah, wrote NC leader, Tanveer Sadiq.
Pertinently, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, the founder of Jammu Kashmir National Conference is one of the most popular leaders of Kashmir among the older generation of Kashmir who credit him with the ‘Land Reforms,’ fighting against forced labour (Bagaer), the Plebiscite Movement (Tehreek e Rai Shumari) among several other things. However, the younger generation of Kashmir often credits the JKNC patron with Indira-Sheikh Accord among other things.