Lt Governor addresses National Webinar to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee; calls him the Architect of Integrated & Modern India

SRINAGAR : Remembering the immense contributions of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee as the Architect of fully integrated & Modern India, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha today addressed a National Webinar to mark the birth anniversary celebrations of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee as part of Azaadi ka Amrut Mahotsav, here at Raj Bhavan.

Paying rich tributes and respect to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary, the Lt Governor said that Dr. Mookerjee had made immense contributions to the Constitution of India, India’s politics, education and modern industries.

“I believe Dr. Mookerjee’s arrival in Jammu and Kashmir, 68 years ago, in May 1953, was the first Swadeshi movement of the country after independence. And today his Tapobhoomi is illuminated with development as his dream turned into reality many years after his arrival”, the Lt Governor noted.

Remembering Dr. Mookerjee’s role in Nation building, the Lt Governor said that he had such integrity and dedication for nation building that he didn’t rest until the challenge at his hand was resolved. He believed that the basic element of good governance, nationalism, change, prosperity of the society, is wholesome policy and even the most complex problems can be solved with the righteous approach.

Steadfastly working to realize the goal of “Ek Vidhaan, Ek Pradhaan, Ek Nishaan”, Dr. Mookerjee’s struggle in J&K was a revolution and he sacrificed his life while fighting for it. His actions and words had brought a possibility of revolution and change. He wanted to see Jammu and Kashmir like other states of India, with same rights to the people in Jammu and Kashmir, which were enjoyed in the rest of India.

Today on his birth anniversary, while expressing my sincere tributes to Dr. Mookerjee from Srinagar, I want to express my gratitude to the Hon’ble Prime Minister for fulfilling his dream on August 5, 2019, leading to the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the country, said the Lt Governor.

Illustrating the immense contribution of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the Lt Governor said that after independence, socio-economic changes took place at many levels, but Dr. Mookerjee lit the spark of national unity.

The Lt Governor said that the lamp which Dr. Mookerjee had lit with the supreme sacrifice of his life for the unity of the country, empowering the deprived people, ending discrimination, establishing social equality, harmony, and development, has brought a new dawn in Jammu and Kashmir.

“I strongly believe that national integration is the first step in the development of citizens and Dr. Mookerjee knew that this unity was incomplete without the complete integration of J&K with rest of the country. Due to Article 370, constitutional reforms and hundreds of acts which would have been helpful in raising the quality of life of people and bringing a surge of development in the region were not implemented in J&K”, he added.

The Lt Governor continued that it was the only region in the country where there was no Minority Commission, no law to stop child marriage, no Forest Rights Act, no reservation for the poor sections, and Right to Education Act was not implemented. The three-tier Panchayati Raj system was not allowed to be implemented, but last year the 73rd and 74th Amendments have led to successful, fair and violence-free elections for DDCs. Under the guise of 370, people did not allow any industry to come up in J&K for seven decades.

The deprived classes who served Jammu and Kashmir since 1957 were not given Permanent Resident Certificate. The West Pakistani refugee and Gurkha community were denied their rights, Lt Governor said.

The Lt Governor said that Article 370 and 35A gave only separatism, terrorism, nepotism and large scale corruption to J&K. There was not a single provision in it that would connect J&K to the mainstream development.

The Lt Governor added that Article 370 also provided that the Indian flag would be flown only on two occasions but today, the flag of India is being hoisted proudly on every government building of Jammu and Kashmir, in every school. All 890 central laws are now applicable here.

“The rule of only a handful didn’t give leadership opportunities to any young citizen of Jammu and Kashmir, but today the youth of J&K are not only making successful political debut but are also marching towards development”, Lt Governor remarked.

I believe that the country became independent in 1947, but its political consciousness and political sense was found due to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, he added.

The Lt Governor said that only six years after the Independence, a new national consciousness was born due to Dr. Mookerjee, which strengthened the concept of Akhand Bharat.

The Lt Governor said that whether it was the debate on partition in the Constituent Assembly, the matter of making Hindi the national language or the matter of foreign policy of India, Dr. Mookerjee always gave a new direction to the whole country with his political consciousness, philosophy, creative, scientific and historical point of view.

The Lt Governor said that Dr. Mookerjee best defined the principle of ‘Vasudev Kutumbakam’, world peace and the spirit of harmony.

Dr. Mookerjee with his way of thinking tried to awaken truth in the general public, shunning the feelings of particular creed, sect, party, opinion, Lt Governor mentioned in his address.

The Lt Governor said that the views of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s on J&K issue, relations with neighboring countries and reforms in elections were like the fragrance of spirituality in Indian politics. “Being a spiritual- politician in this country was not easy but Dr. Mookerjee came to the land of Jammu and Kashmir with full strength and courage and changed its history forever”, he added

The Lt Governor said that today, if J&K is moving ahead on the path of development, then it is only because of two personalities, one Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and the other is Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Dr. Mookerjee gave us a new meaning of politics and that was to bring social freedom and equality to the common people through creative programs and to find new ways for their development. There are very few political personalities in the country who have attained perfection in that and he was one of them.

“I bow down to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee for their steadfast efforts, amazing valor and supreme sacrifice to get justice. And today Jammu and Kashmir has been fully integrated with India and taking along the crown jewel of India, we have to move forward for the development of the country with full faith, determination”, concluded the Lt Governor.

The webinar was organized by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and was attended by Shri Arif Mohammed Khan, Governor of Kerala; Smt. Droupadi Murmu, Governor of Jharkhand; Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, Chairman, IGNCA; Dr. Anirban Ganguly, Director, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation and Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA, besides other dignitaries.