Dr Chahukeshi Jamwal
jamwalchahukeshi@gmail.com
The nation recently commemorated Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his death anniversary, a man widely hailed for integrating the Princely states into a democratic India. As part of his duties towards the Home Ministry, Jammu and Kashmir became his most passionately integrated state. However, the historical relationship of Jammu with the rest of India cannot be ignored while discussing the formal unification. Political continuity of Jammu and Kashmir has been reinstated time and again; even so, the modern period of political history of Jammu and Kashmir has been understated. A balance of monarchical initiative, student activism and people’s movement created space for adopting the nationalist movement in Jammu.
In the nineteenth century, establishment of organisations like Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj for inducing reforms in the society started a movement. The branches of Arya Samaj establishing in the Punjab and Lahore laid a considerable impact on the politically sensitive people of Jammu. Several social organisations of Jammu like the Amar Kshatriya Sabha, the Anjuman-i-Islamia, the Brahman Sabha, the Mahajan Sabha, etc. hitherto catering to the interests of respective communities gathered in 1904, to constitute a Dogra committee called the Dogra Sadar Sabha. The leaders responsible for organising the Sabha were Lala Hans Raj Mahajan and Hazrat Shah.
One of the primary goals of the Sabha was to awaken the political consciousness of the people and unity of different segments into strong socio-cultural bonds. The leadership of the Sabha was already an example of communal unity- expressing brotherhood of all religions.
However, princely states were considered pockets of British power outside of the British India and development of nationalist tendencies invited British suppression on the concerned ruler. Even so, the Sabha received support from the Dogra Maharaja Pratap Singh, who had just begun to regain administrative authority from the British. Despite this, and the fact that a nationalist movement in Jammu and Kashmir would be highlighted in the British circle, the Dogra Darbar not only gave permission to the Sabha but also the ruler became its chief patron, donating 30 Kanals of land to the Sabha in the city. Maharaja Pratap Singh also issued periodical grants to the Sabha while also paying a monthly subscription fee with his brother Raja Amar Singh. A generous amount was also donated by the ruler for the construction of the Dogra Hall. Support of the Darbar to the democratic movement was furthered by the start of the Dogra Gazette, a mouthpiece of the Dogra Sadar Sabha which had considerable impact of the nationalist ideas circulating in the Punjab. Right away, the Sadar Sabha started aligning itself with the moderate politics of the Indian National Congress. Following the Congress’s method, it organised its sub-committees in different districts resembling the layered structure of the Indian National Congress. It closely followed the INC tradition of organising annual sessions and discussion on issues of public importance and major developments in British India.
This was also a time when British employment in professional space of the State was on a rise. The people were frustrated by a lack of suitable jobs for the educated youth. Meanwhile, the Congress announced the start of a nation-wide programme of the Swadeshi and Boycott movement. The leaders of Jammu were impressed by the Congress’s attempt to claim self-rule from the British by boycotting the foreign offices as well as merchandise. Therefore, the Sabha soon invited the participation of people of Jammu to use Khaddar and indigenous products instead of foreign ones. The declaration was received positively by the people who identified with the economic benefit of using indigenous material. This simultaneous action with the Indian National Congress alerted the Dogra population towards political developments during the Gandhian politics in British India, which were then shadowed in Jammu as well.
The people of Jammu came to identify with the agitation when Gandhiji gave the call for Khilafat movement. The Hindus perceived it as the continuation of a movement to get rid of the British; for the Muslims, it had the religious appeal. Therefore, on March 17, 1920, the local papers of Jammu published several nationalist slogans. Not only this but also as part of their resentment towards the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the students of Prince of Wales College, Jammu boycotted their classes despite strict warnings and joined a procession marching towards Sialkot to attend a meeting presided by Gandhiji.
In continuation of the students’ activism, the undergraduates of Prince of Wales college received a notice of Lala Lajpat Rai inviting the participation of students from colleges affiliated to the Punjab University, to a meeting at Gujranwala on March 31, 1921. A recorded number of 262 students went ahead to attend the gathering despite restrictions imposed by the college authority.
Meanwhile, the Dogra Sadar Sabha collected subscriptions for the “Tilak Swaraj Fund” constituted by the Indian National Congress. Through the medium of Press as well, the Dogra Gazette promoted the programme and activities of the nationalist movement. However, the Foreign and Political Department of the British Government flagged each development and further reports exerted pressure on the Dogra monarch to ban the Sadar Sabha and rusticate the students attending Congress meetings; no such actions were executed by the Darbar.
As part of a British wartime scheme, The Press Publication Act of 1914 of the Government of India was extended to Jammu and Kashmir as a result of which the Dogra Gazette had to be stopped. Also, the State government was coerced to invoke the Conduct of State Servant rule under which those in state employment were prohibited from indulging in political activity. Again, the monarchy refrained from banning the Sadar Sabha or suspend the students.
The restraints failed to curtail the spirit of nationalism in Jammu. The leaders started to focus on constructive programmes like investing in Khadi and Charkhaa and new periodicals, like the Ranbir which started publication on 24 June 1924 from Jammu. The paper not only widely published the activities of the Congress but also supported a public strike on the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi in May 1930.
The start of the new decade ushered in radical confrontation of Britain with the new Dogra monarch Hari Singh. After successfully implementing the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1931in Jammu, the political energy was invested in constitutional development. While the Congress proceeded to form ministries; the leadership of Jammu engaged in the first ever Legislative body- the Praja Sabha.
Moreover, since his speech in London at the Round Table Conference of 1931, the commitment of representing the Indian nationalist demands was taken upon himself by Maharaja Hari Singh. His rebellion against paramountcy is another interesting chapter in the history of Jammu and Kashmir and India.
The integration of Jammu and Kashmir was not only the result of accession by Maharaja Hari Singh, neither was it the outcome of solely the efforts of Sardar Patel. Unification was not an event but a process of concretising the popular will. The people of the state having run parallel programmes with the Indian National Congress, finally saw accession as a natural course of action.
(The author is Alumna (2021) Deptt of History, Unviersity of Jammu)
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