L-G Sinha, Union Minister Goyal pay tributes to Syama Prasad on 124th birth anniversary in Kashmir

The Hindu

07-07-2025

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Textiles Piyush Goyal on Sunday (July 6, 2025) lauded the role of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, for integrating J&K into India on his 124th birth anniversary.
J&K L-G Sinha announced to launch a two-year celebratory campaign to honour the life and legacy of Dr. Mookerjee and his role in strengthening national unity and advocating 'One Nation, One Constitution' for a brighter future of J&K.
'Mookerjee Ji was one of the key architects of modern India and a visionary statesman, educationist and fearless Parliamentarian whose ideals continue to shape the destiny of India,' L-G Sinha said.
He said Mookerjee sacrificed his life for unification of J&K with India and was a proponent of 'One Nation, One Constitution, One Symbol' and opposed Article 370.
'His martyrdom in Srinagar while fighting for J&K's complete integration, remained a defining moment in the nation's history. Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled Mookerjee's dream 66 years after his martyrdom,' he added.
Recalling the role of Mookerjee in integrating J&K into India, Union Minister Goyal said the Centre's decision of August 5, 2019 to do away with Article 370 and 35A finally led to the complete integration of J&K into India as envisaged by him. 'Mookerjee quit the Jawaharlal Nehru government as a Minister in 1953. He visited J&K without a permit and died under mysterious circumstances. His sacrifice, however, did not go to waste. After August 5, 2019, all laws are applicable in J&K,' he said.
Mookerji died in a jail in J&K 1953 during the government of then J&K Prime Minister Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. No regional party or ruling National Conference attended any function organised for the Jan Sangh leader.
Mr. Goyal also praised people of Kashmir for standing against terrorism and lending support to the 'Operation Sindoor'', which India launched after the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 civilians dead.
'People of J&K showed to the world that such terror attacks will not make this place stop. This terror attack was not only on tourists but also on the economy of J&K. Pakistan was given a strong reply through the 'Operation Sindoor' for supporting terrorists. Like Maoism, we will end terrorism too with the help of Kashmiris. There is a mismatch between what Pakistan says and does. Pakistan needs to take concrete measures against terrorists and their infrastructure and hand over wanted terrorists to India to prove they mean what they say,' Mr. Goyal added.
Meanwhile, the Union Minister, during a separate function in Srinagar, said the Union Territory will soon get a dedicated design and packaging hub and a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence to boost the industrial and agricultural sectors. 'The Omar Abdullah government in J&K and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government at the Centre will jointly work towards reviving tourism and trade in the UT,' Mr. Goyal said.
He embarked on measures to integrate J&K into national and global markets through value addition and sustainable development models. 'We are exploring a public-private partnership model to make the Centre of Excellence a hub of new technologies, product research, packaging design, and food processing solutions,' he said.
He said his Ministry was exploring solar rooftop installations at the industrial estate in Lassipora, Pulwama, which has 10 lakh square feet of built-up space. 'If we use green energy for production, our exports can get premium value as certified eco-friendly products,' he said.
He also underlined that there was a need to maintain a minimum import price of ₹75 on imported apples with a 50% duty to ensure Kashmiri apples remain competitive. 'We import apples worth ₹140 crore. But our own growers should not suffer. This must be a win-win for farmers and consumers,' he said.