Lucknow/Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the BJP was proud that its government got the opportunity to “tear down the wall of Article 370”.
Modi said this after inaugurating the Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Lucknow on the 101st birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Addressing a public gathering after the inauguration, Modi said, “The BJP is proud that our government had the opportunity to tear down the wall of Article 370.”
He added that the legacy of good governance created by the BJP-led NDA government was now being taken to new heights at both the Centre and state levels.
“We must not forget how after Independence, a tendency developed to attribute every positive achievement to a single family,” he said.
The prime minister said his government had made Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya’s Antyodaya vision its mission to ensure that government schemes reached all the poor without discrimination. “Before 2014, about 25 crore people were covered under social security schemes, while today this number has increased to 95 crore,” he said.
Modi also said the day was not far when Uttar Pradesh’s defence corridor would be known globally for defence manufacturing.
PM Modi was accompanied by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior leaders. He was warmly welcomed by people who waved the tricolour and raised slogans in his honour.
The Rashtra Prerna Sthal, a landmark national memorial complex dedicated to the life and ideals of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, features 65-foot-high bronze statues of Vajpayee, Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya. It also houses a state-of-the-art museum designed in a lotus-shaped structure spread over 98,000 square feet.
After the inauguration, Modi, along with other leaders, visited the museum and viewed the displays showcasing the contributions of Vajpayee, Mookerjee and Upadhyaya.
Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that abrogation of Article 370 completed an unfinished task linked to national integration, fulfilling a long-cherished vision of Bharatiya Jana Sangh ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
“The decision to remove the special constitutional provisions for Jammu and Kashmir was rooted in the ideological foundations laid decades ago,” Singh said.
He said, “Upadhyaya had envisioned complete constitutional integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country and had made sacrifices for that cause.”
Singh said the abrogation of Article 370 marked a decisive step towards ensuring unity and equal constitutional rights for citizens of Jammu and Kashmir. He also said the move ended the system of separate laws and symbols, strengthening the idea of one nation governed by one Constitution.
Referring to other leaders associated with Jammu and Kashmir, the Defence Minister said Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee had also played a key role in advocating full integration of the erstwhile state with India and had laid down his life for the cause.
He said PM Modi carried forward that legacy by taking the final step in August 2019.
Singh said that “since the abrogation of Article 370, J&K has witnessed greater political stability, improved governance and enhanced focus on development.” (With inputs from PTI & KNO)
