Welcoming the formation of a new government in West Bengal under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader L. K. Advani said here on Sunday that the end of 34 years of Communist rule in the State was the beginning of a new chapter in its politics.
“I welcome and commend Mamata Banerjee for being able to end 34 years of misrule in West Bengal. Overall the change that has come here has been good,” Mr. Advani said.
He hoped that the problem of infiltration along the India-Bangladesh border and illegal immigration would now be addressed. “We have heard that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is going to Bangladesh and that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will accompany him. We hope that both the Union government and the West Bengal government will try to resolve the problems of illegal immigration and infiltration,” he said.
Speaking at a function to observe the birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerji, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Mr. Advani described Dr. Mookerji as “the first martyr for the cause of an undivided India after Independence” emphasising his contribution to the formation of the nation.
“Recently suggestions are again being made of restoring the pre-1953 position in Kashmir. We want to assert that the dream of liberating Kashmir from India will never be realised. We should not step back an inch from the integration that has been possible because of the sacrifice of Syama Prasad Mookerji and it is our aim to ensure that one day, Article 370 of the Constitution [regarding the special provisions for Jammu and Kashmir] is repealed,” Mr. Advani said.
“No Indian, particularly no worker of the BJP, should forget the importance of Mookerji's martyrdom and what it achieved.” In the end, it resulted in the need for a special permit to go to Jammu and Kashmir and hoist the Indian tricolour there, he added.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Rahul Sinha, president of the State unit of the BJP, were present at the occasion.
