It was founded in November 1947 by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist Balraj Madhok, and served as the main opposition party in the state.
Its main activity was to campaign for the close integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India and oppose the special status granted to the state under the Article 370 of the Indian constitution.
According to Madhok, the objective of the party was to achieve the "full integration" of Jammu and Kashmir with India and to oppose the "communist-dominated anti-Dogra government of Sheikh Abdullah.
"[5][9][10] In early 1949, the Praja Parishad started protesting against the policies of the National Conference government led by Sheikh Abdullah.
[11] The Praja Parishad's call for full integration directly clashed with the demands of National Conference for complete autonomy of the state.
This was in marked opposition to the state trying to formulate its own constitution, carrying its own flag and calling its head of executive "Prime Minister.
N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, the Indian Cabinet minister in charge of Kashmir affairs, came down to broker peace, which was resented by Sheikh Abdullah.
[16] By this time, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh was formed in Delhi to champion Hindu nationalist politics, and the Praja Parishad became its affiliate in Jammu and Kashmir.
[17] Even though Jana Sangh won only 3 seats in the Indian Parliament in the 1951–52 general elections, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was a powerful leader, commanding a big block of support from various opposition parties.
The Praja Parishad submitted a memorandum to the President of India in June 1952, calling for full integration and staged a big demonstration outside the Indian Parliament.
[19] The Praja Parishad undertook a civil disobedience campaign for a third time in November 1952, which again led to repression by the state government.
The Jana Sangh joined hands with the Hindu Mahasabha and Ram Rajya Parishad to launch a parallel agitation in Delhi.
In May 1953, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee made a bid to enter Jammu and Kashmir, citing his rights as an Indian citizen to visit any part of the country.
[19][20] Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, who succeeded Abdullah as the Prime Minister, implemented all the measures of the Delhi Agreement, making further concessions of powers to the Union government.
The event is characterised by analysts as a major "centralising strategy" and a victory for the Hindu nationalist agenda of the Praja Parishad and its allies.