Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee's dream by revoking Article 370 in Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday.
Addressing a function on the death anniversary of of Mookerjee, Adityanath hailed his "sacrifice for saving Kashmir" and for "ensuring the unity of India", a statement said.
The Chief Minister said Kashmir's situation after Independence was progressively deteriorating due to Congress' shortsightedness.
"In such circumstances, Dr Mookerjee raised a slogan for the country, opposing the creation of separate laws for Jammu and Kashmir and granting separate recognition to the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir," Adityanath was quoted as saying in the statement.
Mookerjee launched a movement with the slogan -- "Ek desh mein do vidhan, do pradhan aur do nishan nahi chalenge (There cannot be two constitutions, two prime ministers and two flags in one nation)" -- and was also arrested during that period, Adityanath said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fulfilled Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee's dream by permanently removing Article 370 in Kashmir," he said.
On August 5, 2019, the Modi government revoked Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Chief Minister also emphasised the crucial role played by Mookerjee in resisting the Partition.
Adityanath also said it was due to Mookerjee's patriotism that he was given the responsibility of shaping India's industrial policy after Independence as the first Minister of Industries and Food.
Mookerjee also very open in his criticism of appeasement politics by the government, which posed a threat to the unity and national integrity of India, the Chief Minister said.