J-K accepted national flag with constitutional guarantee for its own flag: Mehbooba

Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said the people of Jammu and Kashmir accepted the national tricolour in 1947 but with certain constitutional guarantees, which were "bulldozed in 2019".

She alleged that the Kashmiris were threatened of consequences and made to hoist the national flag.

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"Lest we forget, people of J&K accepted Indian flag in October 1947. But on certain conditions & constitutional guarantees like their own flag & a separate constitution way before BJP’s ideological parent - the RSS accepted it," Mehbooba said in a series of tweets on Independence Day.

She posted a photograph from the 1950s showing India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru addressing a gathering in Srinagar's Lal Chowk.

"Jawahar Lal Nehru standing tall between two flags, the Indian national flag & J&Ks state flag adopted constitutionally in 1952 & bulldozed in 2019 to fulfil BJPs divisive agenda. Now, every foundational value that the Indian flag stands for too lies in peril," she said.

She questioned the claims of the Jammu and Kashmir administration that scores of Kashmiris had hoisted the national flag on the occasion of the 76th Independence Day.

The former chief minister, "JK admin shamelessly boasts about Kashmiris hoisting Indian flag. Truth is they were threatened to do so or else face the consequences. Post 75 years of accession, GOI used all the might at its disposal to force people here to join its charade of pseudo & monetised patriotism," she wrote and posted a video in support of her allegations.