 Early Times Report
UDHAMPUR, June 23: Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Kavinder Gupta on Monday asserted that Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee's relentless struggle against the separate constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir sowed the seeds of complete integration of the region with the rest of India. "His historic slogan 'Ek Nishan, Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan' continues to inspire generations and remains the ideological foundation of the Bharatiya Janata Party," he said.
The former deputy Chief Minister was speaking after paying floral tributes to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on the occasion of Balidan Divas programme in Udhampur, commemorating his supreme sacrifice for the unity and integrity of the nation.
Kavinder recalled how Dr. Mookerjee stood in firm opposition to the Nehruvian policies that allowed Jammu and Kashmir to enjoy a separate constitutional status. "Dr. Mookerjee opposed the special status granted under Article 370, a mistake that stemmed from the misplaced vision of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It was Mookerjee who gave the clarion call of 'Ek Nishan, Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan' at a time when the country needed clarity and unity," he said.
He further said that Dr. Mookerjee's entry into Jammu and Kashmir without a permit in 1953 was a direct challenge to the discriminatory laws that separated the region from the national mainstream. "His untimely death under detention was not in vain. It laid the ideological groundwork for what the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, finally accomplished by abrogating Article 370," he added.
The senior BJP leader urged the younger generation to study the life and ideology of Dr. Mookerjee and the ideological battle he waged against Nehruvian appeasement and separatist narratives. "History will remember Dr. Mookerjee as the man who resisted the divisionist tendencies encouraged by Nehru's policies," he said.
"Today's generation must never forget the sacrifices made by leaders like him, who believed in one flag, one constitution, and one Prime Minister for one India," he added. MLA Pawan Gupta, MLA Sunil Bhardwaj and Arun Gupta, District President, BJP Udhampur, also spoke on the occasion, saying that the party remains committed to the vision of Dr. Mookerjee and will continue working towards a strong, united, and developed Jammu and Kashmir.
Jeewan Sharma conducted the proceedings of the programme.
Prominent among those who were present included Sumit Sharma, Sunil Badyal and Sunil Gupta, General Secretaries, Juhi Pathania Vice Chairman DDC, Varinder Sharma,
Sumit Gupta, Suhani Katoch, Ashu Sharma, Darshna Devi, Arti Sharma, DDC Pinky Devi, Santosh Kumari Ex Sarpanch, Sharda Devi ex Panch and Aarti Sharma ex BDC Ghordi. |
