Shah remembers Syama Prasad Mukherjee, attributes J&K peace & progress to Article 370

Jammu, June 23 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the complete integration of J&K with the rest of the country through abrogation of Article 370 was the result of the supreme sacrifice given by Syama Prasad Mukherjee.

Addressing a large public gathering at Bhagwati Nagar here, Shah said he was again in the city of temples, so he must first of all bow his head to Mata Vaishno Devi.

He said the abrogation of Article 370 that resulted in complete integration of J&K with the rest of the country, was the result of the supreme sacrifice given by Syama Prasad Mukherjee whose martyrdom anniversary is being held on this day.

"When Article 370 was introduced, it was Syama Prasad Mukherjee who said that in one country we cannot have two constitutions, two Prime Ministers and two flags.

"He started a Satyagraha against Article 370 and was arrested for entering the state on the pretext that he did not carry a permit to enter the state.

"Nobody had till then questioned the anomaly as to why would a citizen of the country not be allowed to enter a part of his own country without a permit.

"All of us know that he was arrested and then murdered in captivity. His soul would be happy and peaceful today because Modiji removed Article 370. So would the soul of Pandit Premnath Dogra who fought alongside Syama Prasad Mukherjee.

"Modiji's government has completed nine years in power and during this period, the country has witnessed phenomenal development and there hasn't been a single incident of corruption.

"Modiji has brought such progress and civic facilities in the lives of 60 crore poor people for which the poor had been waiting for 70 long years.

"Today I have inaugurated three developmental projects worth Rs 84 crore and also laid foundation of new projects worth Rs 309 crore which includes CSLF worth Rs 9 crore.

"97 lakh people in J&K today have the gold health card for cashless treatment and this is because of Modiji.

"While only the poor outside J&K can avail Rs 5 lakh assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana outside J&K, it is applicable to every citizen of J&K.

"During the governments run by Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, 42,000 people got killed. People should ask them to answer why those people were killed. After the abrogation of Article 370, Modiji has put terrorism under a tight leash," he said.

He asked many Gujjar and Pahari tribals present in the public rally whether they would ever get reservations if Article 370 had not been removed.

"Our Dalit and Adivasi brothers and sisters would also not get any benefit when Article 370 was there.

"Modiji's government also started an industrial package of Rs 28,400 crore for employment generation in J&K.

"Youth used to carry stones in their hands and today I am very happy to see laptops in their hands," Shah said.

He thanked Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha and his administration for holding a G20 meet successfully in Kashmir which would send a loud and clear message across the World for better tourism in the days to come.

He appealed to the people to vote vehemently in the coming Lok Sabha elections to fulfil the BJP target of over 300 seats in the Lok Sabha.

He said before going to Srinagar, he would pay obeisance at the Shri Tirupati Balaji temple on the outskirts of Jammu city.