Shyama Prasad Mukherjee never ‘endorsed’ Article 370 : BJP

Jammu: The BJP today lashed out at A G Noorani’s statement in his yet-to-be-released book that Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had endorsed Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir.
It said the statement is an attempt to distort history at the behest of separatist friendly pseudo-secularists and pseudo-intellectuals.
“The late leader had suggested to first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to put a time-bound rider on ‘Article 370’ and specify for how long it was being envisaged,” BJP J&K chief spokesperson and National Executive Member Dr Jitendra Singh said in a statement here.
“It is a deliberate attempt to distort history at the behest of separatist friendly pseudo-secularists as Shyama Prasad never ‘endorsed’ Article 370,” he added.
Dr Singh said Pandit Nehru rejected Shyama Prasad’s suggestion asserting, ‘yeh ghiste ghiste ghis jayegi…’, which meant that with the passage of time, Article 370 will lose its relevance and Kashmir will be a part of national mainstream in natural course.
“Nehru’s misplaced confidence while saying this emanated from his misplaced faith in Sheikh Abdullah which he was to regret within next six to seven years when he was compelled to order the arrest of Sheikh Abdullah,” said Dr Singh.
The spokesperson said, “Mukherjee opposed special status, separate constitution and separate flag to Jammu and Kashmir and he laid down his life for the cause.” Nehru’s blunders in dealing with Jammu and Kashmir are too well known, Dr Singh said, adding that if Nehru had heeded Mukherjee’s advice, the nation would have been saved of its present predicament over Jammu and Kashmir.(UNI)