Key Points

Addressing a gathering in Gujarat's Anand, Shah asserted that Mookerjee sacrificed himself for Jammu and Kashmir, adding that the territory would never have become an integral part of India without him.

Mookerjee strongly opposed the special status and autonomy granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. He advocated for the complete integration of J-K with the rest of India.

Shah said, "Today is a very important day. On this day in 1901, Syama Prasad Mookerjee was born. Born in the land of West Bengal, he was a nationalist leader... The people of the nation are associating him with Jammu and Kashmir. That is correct because Kashmir would never have become an integral part of India without Syama Prasad."

"He sacrificed himself for Kashmir, raising the slogan 'Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan aur Do Nishan nahi chalenge'. The entire credit for West Bengal being a part of our nation today goes to Syama Prasad and Swami Pranavananda..." the Union Minister said..

Expressing pride, the BJP leader stated that Bharatiya Jana Sangh, started by Mookerjee with just 10 members, has now become the world's largest political party.

Shah stated, "He had resigned from Jawaharlal Nehru's Council of Ministers in protest against the policy of appeasement, after which he formed Bharatiya Jana Sangh, a party that was dedicated for India's soil, culture and interest. The party he started with 10 members has today become the world's largest political party with a membership of 12 crore people. On this occasion, I bow my head to pay tributes to Syama Prasad Mookerjee."

Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the ideological parent organisation of the BJP.

Born on July 6, 1901, in Calcutta, was a multifaceted personality - patriot, educationist, parliamentarian, statesman, and humanitarian. He inherited a legacy of erudition and nationalism from his father, Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee, an esteemed Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University and Judge of the Calcutta High Court.

Post-Independence, he joined the interim government under Jawaharlal Nehru as Minister for Industry and Supply, where he laid the foundation for India's industrial growth by establishing iconic institutions like the Chittaranjan Locomotive Factory, Sindri Fertilizer Corporation and the Hindustan.

However, ideological differences led to his resignation, after which he founded the All-India Bharatiya Jan Sangh (1951) to champion nationalist ideals.

According to the BJP's official website, on the issue of the Delhi pact with Likayat Ali Khan, Mookerjee resigned from the Cabinet on April 6, 1950. Later on October 21, 1951, Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in Delhi and became its first president.

Mookerjee went to visit Kashmir in 1953 and was arrested on May 11. He died under detention on June 23, 1953.

- ANI