Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his 122nd birth anniversary saying that he dedicated his life to the making of a strong India. PM Modi further said that Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s deals and principles will continue to inspire every generation.
Prime Minister Modi described Mookerjee, a minister in independent India's first government, as a great nationalist thinker and educationist who founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner to the Bharatiya Janata Party. In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Tributes to the great nationalist thinker, educationist and founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary. He dedicated his life to building a strong India. His ideals and principles will continue to inspire every generation of the country.
Amit Shah pays tribute to Mookerjee
Paying tributes to the BJP ideologue, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the country will always be indebted to him for his contribution towards unity and integrity. Shah said in a tweet, “Respected Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee taught from his life that nothing is greater than national interest. Be it Kashmir or Bengal, we will always be indebted to Dr. Mookerjee for his immense contribution towards the unity and integrity of the country. Mookerjee paved the way for India's progress by laying the foundation of the first industrial policy. Dr. Mookerjee's dedication to the nation and foresight will always guide us. Millions of salutes to such a great son of the country on his birth anniversary.”
Mookerjee founded Jana Sangh in 1951
Syama Prasad Mookerjee, born in the year 1901 in the then Calcutta (Kolkata), was the first Minister of Commerce and Industry of independent India. He had launched a nationwide campaign against Article 370 of the Constitution giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir. He had also given the slogan "Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan aur Do Nishan nahi chalenge" (A single country can't have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two national emblems) regarding Kashmir. Mukherjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh on 21 October 1951, which later became the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mookerjee died in Kashmir in 1953
Syama Prasad Mookerjee died while he was under house arrest in Kashmir in 1953 for entering Jammu and Kashmir without the necessary permit. He also opposed the need for a permit to enter Kashmir. Notably, on August 5, 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Center abolished the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating Article 370 and divided the then state into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
