J-K move a big blow to shrewd British-era diplomacy: Puri seer

BHUBANESWAR: Puri Shankaracharya Nishchalanand Saraswati on Monday welcomed the Centre’s decisions to revoke the special status given to Jammu & Kashmir and divide the state into two Union Territories.
“I am extremely happy with the government’s decision, which was awaited for years. It is a big blow to shrewd British-era diplomacy. Political leaders should rise above the party in the nation’s interest so that India becomes an ideal for the world once again,” he said.
Elsewhere in the state, the decisions evoked mixed reactions.
Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad led victory rallies in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, which were joined by students and people from various walks of life. Many ABVP members were also seen dancing in the streets. In Puri, members of the Jagannath Sena, a socio-cultural outfit, celebrated the occasion by taking out a rally near the Jagannath temple.
In Sambalpur, BJP supporters gathered at the party office and burst crackers and distributed sweets at the Nelson Mandela chowk. Many people also set off fireworks and distributed sweets at the Golebazar chowk.
Welcoming the government decision, BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda tweeted, “…at long last, the slogan ‘From Kashmir To Kanyakumari, India Is One’ finally comes true!”
Senior state Congress leader and former Odisha law minister Narasingha Mishra, however, said the government decision amounted to violating the agreement between two sovereign states. “Jammu & Kashmir was a sovereign state before joining India. It joined the nation with certain conditions. Removing these conditions now is a breach of the agreement between India and J&K,” he said.