Madhopur (Pathankot), March 20
A state-level function was organised here today to pay homage to Dr Shyama Prasad Mookherjee. Addressing a mammoth gathering, former deputy Prime Minister LK Advani said: “Dr Mookherjee laid down his life for the unity and integrity of the nation. He not only opposed the permit system introduced for the people from outside J&K, but also defied the permit restriction by entering the state on May 11, 1953. The system itself was instrumental in creating differences among the citizens of independent India.”

Stating Article 370 as dangerous for the unity and integrity of India, Mohan Bhagwat of the RSS said the Article should be scrapped at earliest to ensure safety of the people of Jammu and Kashmir from the evil designs of terrorist outfits functioning from across the border. He also dedicated the samarak of Dr Shyama Prasad Mookherjee, named as Ekta Sathal, at Madhopur bridge on the Punjab-J&K border, near here.

BJP national president Nitin Gadkari also rued the fact that India had failed to settle the J&K issue even after 62 years of Independence. He alleged that the appeasement policies of the UPA government were encouraging terrorism in the country. Demanding immediate repealing of Article 370, he said Dr Mookherjee’s sacrifice would not go in vein.