Abolishing Article 370 of the Constitution of India will be the real tribute to Syama Prasad Mukherjee, said Om Prakash Kohli, governor of Gujarat on the occasion of 118th birth anniversary of late Mukherjee, the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
He spoke at a seminar organised at Gujarat University on Saturday. The Governor said that Article 370 is a major roadblock in the complete accession of the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in India as it creates a sense of alienation.
"Article 370 still creates a sense of alienation between the Muslims of Kashmir and India. It reflects a separatist mindset and creates an impression among the people of Kashmir that they are different. So, inspite of the sacrifice of Syama Prasad Mukherjee, his task has remained unfinished. Abolishing Article 370 will be a real tribute to Syama Prasad Mukherjee. It is an impediment in complete accession of Jammu and Kashmir with India. It is nice that today, a party, whose seeds were sown by Syama Prasad Mukherjee, is in power, and is committed towards abolishing Article 370," the governor said while addressing a gathering.
Governor OP Kohli informed the audience about the life and works of the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the previous avtaar of Bharatiya Janata Party, that is now in power at the centre.
Mukherjee was made a cabinet minister in the Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru between 1947 and 1952. During this time Mukherjee was appointed as a minister of industries, and he laid a foundation of industrial growth of India. However, soon he opposed to Nehru's policy of appeasement of Muslims. "Under Nehru-Liaquat Agreement, while India ensured safety of Muslims in India, Nehru failed to ensure security of Hindus in Pakistan. Hindus had to migrate from east Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to Bengal," said Kohli.
The governor also attributed the inclusion of West Bengal and east Punjab in India to the efforts of Mukherjee, who ensured that Hindu-majority areas of Punjab and Bengal stayed with India. "Otherwise entire Bengal and Punjab would have gone to Pakistan," he said.
Know About
- Syama Prasad Mukherjee was made a cabinet minister in the Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru between 1947 and 1952
- During this time Mukherjee was appointed as a minister of industries, and he laid a foundation of industrial growth of India
