Advani for repealing Art 370

NEW DELHI, June 23:Senior BJP leader L K Advani today pushed for repealing Article 370 of the Constitution, saying it would help Jammu and Kashmir�s full integration with India.�The country eagerly awaits the day when Article 370 would be repealed and the two vidhans (Constitution) also would become one,� Advani wrote in his blog to commemorate the 60th death anniversary of party�s founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee.Article 370 accords special Constitutional status on J&K and its abolition has been one of BJP�s core demands. The party had put the issue on back burner in its attempt to woo more allies, most of whom are wary of its Hindutva agenda.In his blog titled �Independent India�s First Martyr for National Integration�, the veteran leader said Mookerjee�s death in controversial circumstances triggered a series of developments which significantly promoted the process of national integration.The permit system, which the then J&K Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah had introduced for non-state residents wishing to enter the State, was scrapped and state�s PM became a Chief Minister like the head of any other state.Two pradhans (heads) became one, and though two nishans (symbols) continue still, the National Tricolour started flying in the State in a superior position, Advani wrote in the blog, giving credit to Mookerjee for extending the reach of the Supreme Court to the State.Mookerjee had given the slogan �ek desh mein do pradhan, do nishan, do vidhan, nahin challenge nahi challenge� during the first national meet of his party Bhartiya Jansangh, the erstwhile avatar of BJP, in 1953.He was arrested by J&K police for entering the State without a permit and later died in detention in Srinagar due to �ill health�, a claim rejected by his supporters who termed it a conspiracy.Until Mookerjee�s demise neither the Supreme Court, Election Commission nor Comptroller and Auditor General had jurisdiction over Jammu and Kashmir, he said.�Dr Mookerjee's martyrdom brought about a change in this situation. Sheikh Abdullah became Chief Minister, Sadar-e-Riyasat became Governor, and the President and PM�s formal authority got extended to J&K,� he said.Wondering why no formal inquiry was instituted into Mookerjee�s death, Advani blogged, �The death of this titan remains a mystery till today.�In other similar situations, a formal inquiry has almost invariably been instituted but not in this case. One cannot say whether it was just criminal insensitivity, or actually a feeling of guilt!,� he said. (PTI)