Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 2: The State BJP spokesperson, Prof Virender Gupta said that the statement of the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, in the State Assembly on Article 370 has created a great hype not in the political circles but among the common masses in the State and the country as it is being construed by opponents to disturb the harmonious relations between the alliance partners in the State.
The Spokesperson while putting forward the BJP’s view point stated that for the party right from the days of Praja Parishad and Jan Sangh, the abrogation of Article 370 is one of its prime agendas. There was a mass agitation led by Praja Parishad and supported by Jan Sangh in 1953 against Article 370 with the slogans “Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan and Ek Nishan” for the State, thereby opposing the Special status granted to the State. He said Dr. Shyama Prashad Mookherjee, the founder president of Jan Sangh, had sacrificed his life in a struggle aimed to remove the barriers in the way of complete integration of J&K with Indian Union. Thousands of Parja Parishad workers were arrested whereas about 20 were killed by Sheikh Government.
Prof. Gupta said that Congress Party and other national leaders, who were members of the Constituent Assembly of India, including B.R. Ambedkar were against the incorporation of Article 370 in the Indian Constitution. He mentioned that nation by and large is against the retention of Article 370 and added that Pt. Nehru, Guljari Lal Nanda and Indira Gandhi, opined in the Parliament that Article 370 would slowly and steadily vanish itself.
The spokesperson said that Article 370 is responsible for creating the psyche among the Kashmiri masses that Jammu and Kashmir is not a settled issue and breed secessionism among them. He termed it as a paradox that the party and its followers, who are committed to nationalism, fighting separatist forces and want to end the uncertain conditions prevailing in the State by abrogating Article 370 and total integration of the State with India are being abused as anti-national, whereas those who have always exploited the people of the State on the name of Article 370, are being portraited as nationalists, forgetting the fact that majority of the State population, that includes people of Jammu region, Ladakh region and a good section of population of the Valley are in favour of abrogation of the Article.
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