New Delhi: A spat on Twitter between two top leaders of the BJP and the Congress brings to fore the question whether it was Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru or Maharaja Hari Singh hesitated to join Kashmir with independent India.
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said it was Nehru who had delayed Kashmir's accession to India not Maharaja Hari Singh as was argued by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh blaming Hari Sigh.
The Congress' general secretary in-charge of communication in one of his series of tweet said Maharaja Hari Singh dithered on accession and only when Pakistan invaded India, the king acceded Kashmir to India.
Sheikh Abdullah, the first chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, championed accession to India owing to his friendship with Nehru and his respect for Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh said.
Jairam Ramesh also added that Sardar Patel, who later became first home of minister of India, had no issue with Jammu and Kashmir joining Pakistan till September 13 1947, when the Nawab of Junagadh acceded to Pakistan.
Law Minister Kiren Rijiju quickly reacted to Jairam Ramesh's tweet saying that a month before Independence in July 1947 Maharaja Hari Singh approached Nehru for accession to India.
But Nehru rejected his proposal while accepting other states, Rijju said, adding that Maharaja Hari Singh delayed Jammu and Kashmir's accession to India is " historic lie' that has gone far too long.
Prime Minister Modi triggered the conversation on Kasmir speaking to a rally in Gujarat. Modi said Saradar Vallabhbhai Patel resolved merger of other princely states while "one person", obliquely referring to Nehru, couldn't solve Kashmir issue.