Patna, July 7 (IANS) The BJP and the JD(U) on Tuesday backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks describing the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A as the most fitting tribute to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, while asserting that the country would continue to be governed strictly in accordance with the Constitution.

The leaders said that nothing contrary to the Constitution would be supported, while praising the Centre’s decision to revoke the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

Paying tributes to Mookerjee on his birth anniversary on Monday, Prime Minister Modi had said that the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A fulfilled the vision for which the Jana Sangh founder dedicated his life and ultimately made the supreme sacrifice.

“Dr Mookerjee was wholly dedicated to the vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat (One India, Great India)’; that is why he vehemently opposed the notion of having ‘do samvidhan, do pradhan, do nishan (two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two flags)’ within the country. He gave the nation a rallying cry: ‘We will never accept do samvidhan, do pradhan, do nishan’,” the Prime Minister had said.

“This was not merely a slogan; it was a call for equal rights, a unified Constitution, and a shared national consciousness. He struggled for this cause, endured imprisonment, and ultimately made the supreme sacrifice for the sake of Kashmir. Today, our government takes pride in the fact that, by dismantling the wall of Article 370, we have fulfilled Dr Mookerjee’s dream,” he added.

Reacting to the Prime Minister’s remarks, leaders from the BJP and JD(U) welcomed the abrogation of Article 370 and reiterated their commitment to constitutional governance.

Speaking to IANS, Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi said, “We have been raising this slogan since our childhood. Due to the wrong policies of the Congress, the country was partitioned, and whenever Parliament passed a law, it used to state that it applied to the whole of India except Jammu and Kashmir. That is why Dr Mookerjee gave the slogan: ‘Ek desh mein do nishan, do pradhan aur do samvidhan nahi sahenge’.”

“After the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, India now has one flag, one Constitution, and one Prime Minister. Today, when Parliament passes a law, it does not state that it excludes Jammu and Kashmir. Dr Mookerjee made the supreme sacrifice over the issue of Article 370. The entire country celebrated his 125th birth anniversary recently, and it was on that occasion that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made those remarks,” he further said.

JD(U) National Working President and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Kumar Jha, also supported the government’s stand while stressing the primacy of the Constitution.

Speaking to IANS, Jha said, “The country is governed by the Constitution, and we all believe in upholding it. As far as our party is concerned, we will not support anything that is contrary to the Constitution.”

Bihar Minister Dilip Jaiswal also welcomed the Centre’s decision to revoke Article 370 and recalled Dr Mookerjee’s campaign against the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking to IANS, Jaiswal said, “This was his slogan when he was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir. He had clearly stated that one country cannot have two flags, two constitutions, and two heads. We used to say, ‘Jahan hue balidan Mookerjee, woh Kashmir hamara hai.’ I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for abrogating Article 370 in Kashmir, where the Congress had worked to provide shelter to anti-India forces.”

–IANS

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