“It was essentially due to Shyama Prasad Mookerjee’s sacrifice that the Tricolour found the pride of place in the state (J&K),” Advani said. “Had he not made the supreme sacrifice, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (and others like him) would not have become chief ministers there...The present crisis has revived the old issue of the state’s full integration with the rest of the country. Why should there be two systems (of governance) in one country?” he said.

“How can Kashmir’s identity be threatened by the erection of temporary structures on just 100 acres of land for provision of basic amenities, and that too for only two months in a year? And what is Kashmir’s identity? Isn’t Kashmir an integral part of India?” asked Advani.