Jammu, Aug 26: Former Member of Legislative Council of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and scion of erstwhile Royal Dogra family, Vikramaditya Singh on Friday urged the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to announce a public holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, which falls on September 23.
In a letter to the Lt Governor, the former MLC said, “As you are well aware, there has been a growing demand amongst the public, largely in Jammu, for honouring Maharaja Hari Singh ji by declaring his birth anniversary, September 23, as a public holiday.”
“Amongst other organizations such as the Bar Association and the Chamber of Commerce, who have lent their support on this issue, the Yuva Rajput Sabha has been actively involved in public demonstrations over the past few years,” Singh said in a letter.
He said, “in January 2022, due to timely intervention of your good offices, the long public agitation and dharna was withdrawn. A memorandum was submitted to you by the Yuva Rajput Sabha and you forwarded the same to a committee. This was done with the assurance that the said committee would submit its findings within the stipulated 30 days.”
“I have said this on several occasions in the past that this is a sensitive and sentimental issue, close to the hearts of the public cutting across party, caste, community or religious lines. With September 23 approaching fast and no decision on part of the Government, the public, especially the youth are getting anxious and are persisting with their demand. I would like to urge you to kindly grant this public holiday to honor the memory of an extraordinary man that Maharaja Hari Singh was. Thereby bringing about a peaceful resolution to the ongoing agitation,” Singh said.
Notably, Singh was responsible for the resolution passed in the Legislative Council in 2017 for declaration of holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, which falls on September 23 and also resigned from his post of MLC subsequently.
He has also written to Rajnath Singh, the then Home Minister of India through his letter on July 15, 2018 in this regard. (Agencies)
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