Jammu, Jun 23: Home Minister Amit Shah initiated his two-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir by honoring the death anniversary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder and BJP ideologue, Syama Prasad Mukherjee. Upon his arrival in the city, Shah headed to the BJP headquarters in Trikuta Nagar, where he joined party leaders, including Union Minister Jitendra Singh and J-K unit president Ravinder Raina, to pay homage to Mukherjee.
Mukherjee, a vocal opponent of the now-revoked Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, passed away under mysterious circumstances on this day in 1953 after his arrest in the region for advocating against the concept of “A single country cannot have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two national emblems.”
Shah offered floral tributes to Mukherjee’s statue at the BJP headquarters, with chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee Ji Amar Rahe” resonating in the air. Singh, Raina, and other leaders also paid their respects to Mukherjee.
Stringent security measures have been put in place across Jammu and Kashmir for the duration of the home minister’s visit, during which he is scheduled to address a public rally in the Bhagwati Nagar area to highlight the achievements of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government. Shah will remotely lay the foundation stone of the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Samba and inaugurate various development schemes in the city.
Later in the day, Shah will travel to Srinagar, where he will participate in a function at Raj Bhavan for the inauguration and foundation stone laying of several development projects. He will also attend the ‘Vitasta’ festival organized by the Union Ministry of Culture in the city.
On Saturday, the home minister will lay the foundation stone of the ‘Validan Stambh’ in Srinagar before returning to the national capital.
