Kolkata: “The dreams of Babasaheb Ambedkar, Sardar Patel, Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Atal Ji and millions of other lovers of the country has been realised,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.
Senior BJP leaders like Ram Madhav and Sushma Swaraj had also dedicated the day to Syama Prasad Mukherjee. Once again the slogan of “Ek desh mein do Vidhan nahi chalenge” (Two laws cannot be in vogue in one nation) resonated which was first raised by none other than Syama Prasad Mukherjee, one of the prime protestors of abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.
Mukherjee had reached the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir on May 11, 1953, to take part in an agitation programme against Article 370 and was arrested for entering the state without proper permission. Syama Prasad died on June 23, in Srinagar police custody. BJP has long alleged that Mukherjee was murdered to quell the anti-Article 370 agitation.
Being a minister in Jawaharlal Nehru cabinet, Mukherjee had raised his voice against the inclusion of Article 370 in the Constitution.
But, why did he do that? Why did he go against his own government and the Prime Minister? Many such questions still keep doing the rounds.
Analysts have conflicting opinions on Mukherjee's controversial role on the whole issue.
Historian and political analyst Udayan Bandopadhyay feels that Syama Prasad Mukherjee was initially in favour of Article 370 in the Constituent Assembly and never objected to it. His objections came later on after he was guided by Balraj Madhak and he started an agitation on the Kashmir issue. Eventually, his death was temporarily put to rest by the anti-Article 370 agitations.
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“In fact, Syama Prasad Mukherjee had supported the Delhi pact signed between Sheikh Abdullah and Nehru, but the J&K Jan Sangh unit had opposed it. Syama Prasad was in favour of Ladakh being accorded autonomy as per the pact. Mukherjee's mainstay was his prolonged work involving the refugees of Bengal. This issue kept on burning even after his death and Jan Sangh also did not do anything on this front,” said Bandopadhyay.
Meghalaya Governor and author of a book on Shyamaprasad, Tathagata Roy, does not agree to this argument and said Mukherjee was always against Article 370.
“The controversial article was kept in the Constitution on the insistence of Sheikh Abdullah and it was clearly mentioned that it was a temporary affair. Later on, no one objected to it before Syama Prasad Mukherjee, who had questioned the veracity of the Article. He had said the Article doesn't make it clear whether the people of Kashmir are Indian citizens or not. He had vehemently protested against the existence of a separate flag in the same sovereign land and had verbally castigated Nehru. But, the brute majority of the Congress in Lok Sabha muffled all voices. He laid down his life for the cause,” said Roy.
Mukherjee's family member and former chief justice of Calcutta High Court Chittotosh Mukherjee said Syama Prasad had resigned from the country's first cabinet over his opposition to Article 370 and differences with Jawaharlal Nehru.
“This Article had created a nation within a nation. After resigning from the cabinet Syama Prasad Mukherjee had formed Jan Sangh and we still have doubts about his death in police custody in Srinagar. We are happy that his demand for abolishing Article 370 has finally been realised. His dream of one nation, one flag, one rule is finally being realised,” said Chittotosh Mukherjee.
BJP's bitter rival Trinamool Congress, the ruling party of West Bengal, is cautious about its comments on the son of Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, the second Indian Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta.
“Syama Prasad Mukherjee played a vital role in floating the idea of the abrogation of Article 370 from the Constitution and was a proponent of one nation, one law. But, his contribution to the country's freedom struggle is never that of a prominence. When several front-ranking leaders were under arrest and languishing in a British prison, Syama Prasad Mukherjee had joined hands with Fazlul Huq and formed a government in Bengal. His Hindu Mahasabha was part of the ministry and we cannot forget his role in floating the idea of West Bengal,” said Trinamool leader and Lok Sabha MP Sougata Roy.
Dr Anirban Ganguly, director of Syama Prasad Mukherjee Research Foundation said, Mukherjee knew that Article 370 was detrimental to a unified India and being a farsighted person, he knew that if this Article was not withdrawn or abolished, it would eventually lead to unrest and terror activities on Indian soil.
“It was Syama Prasad Mukherjee, who being an MP from South Kolkata, had gone to Kashmir for a cause. That state was getting some undue privileges and at the same time was also being denied some rights. He could not accept it. He had laid down his life for this. Syama Prasad Mukherjee's agitation against Article 370 has eventually proved invaluable to preserve India's unity and oneness,” said Dr Ganguly.
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On June 23, 1953, Syama Prasad Mukherjee died in police custody. His death is still shrouded in mystery. The backdrop of Mukherjee's death is smeared in controversy. Sheikh Abdullah's decision to introduce a permit rule in Jammu and Kashmir was unacceptable to Mukherjee. A permit for Indian citizens to enter a state of Indian federation and that too under the protection of an Article of the country's Constitution was challenged by the Jan Sangh founder.
Syama Prasad Mukherjee started in a train from Delhi on May 10, 1953, to Pathankot to challenge the permit rule. As he entered the limits of J&K, he was arrested by Sheikh Abdullah's police and then his death was reported, which has also been termed by many as a political murder.
No Right to Information, no minority rights, no validation of Article 360 and 365, a separate flag and citizens enjoying dual citizenship, Article 370 of the Constitution had many provisions of exclusivity for Jammu and Kashmir. August 5, 2019, the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre abrogated the Article, that came into vogue 69 years ago.
It was finally a curtain call for Syama Prasad Mukherjee.
