BJP fulfils key ideological promise by revoking Article 370

Revoking Article 370 of the Constitution has been a key part of the BJP's core agenda and has always struck an emotional chord with its rank and file after its ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee died in a Jammu and Kashmir jail in 1953 to protest the state's special status and demand its complete integration with the Union.

Home Minister Amit Shah's announcement in Rajya Sabha on Monday to repeal Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was unsurprisingly met with jubilation among BJP leaders, and its rank and file alike.

This is one of three key BJP planks besides building Ram temple at Ayodhya and implementing Uniform Civil Code which have given the party its distinct Hindutva and nationalist identity.

Spearheading the agitation to scrap Article 370, Mookerjee had entered Jammu and Kashmir and was arrested. His presence was deemed illegal as outsiders then required a permit to enter it.

Mookerjee's death, considered mysterious by the BJP and its Hindutva allies, and his slogan "ek desh mein do vidhan, do pradhan aur do nishan nahi chalenge" (One country can't have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two national emblems) have long been a rallying cry for the party.

His "sacrifice" was mentioned by one BJP leader after another as they spoke in Rajya Sabha after Shah moved a resolution.

Right from its Jana Sangh days, the saffron party has blamed Article 370 for separatist activities, militancy and alleged discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh regions in the state.

BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh voiced the feelings of the party's cadre in his tweet following Shah's announcement, "Today there will be nothing but tears in mine and many eyes (sic) . The day we all wanted to live for #Article370scrapped. Dhanya Dhanya."