- Mookerjee devoted his life to India's unity and progress, says PM Modi
- He said as the vice chancellor of Calcutta University, he improved research
- PM Modi recalled scrapping Articles 370 and 35A as a tribute to him
Syama Prasad Mookerjee devoted his life to India's unity and progress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in a blog on his 125th birth anniversary. His life remains a "timeless example of courage" and unwavering commitment to Maa Bharti, he added.
Mookerjee was the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the ideological predecessor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who gave his life fighting for the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir in India.
He was born into a privileged life, but his conscience led him to one of sacrifice and national service, the prime minister said. He was convinced that he could not remain a mute spectator to the turbulence of his times, be it fighting colonialism, communalism, humanitarian challenges, or more, he added.
PM Modi said the one ideal that defined Mookerjee's public life was the indivisibility of India.
"He stood firm during the upheaval of Partition to ensure that West Bengal remained an integral part of India. A few years later, that very conviction drew him to Jammu and Kashmir. Imprisonment did not deter him, and isolation did not diminish him. His life came to an abrupt end in detention, far from the countless people whose cause he had made his own," he wrote in the blog.
In the most fitting tribute, the prime minister recalled, Articles 370 and 35(A) were scrapped by his government, a move that revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
PM Modi also highlighted how, as the youngest vice chancellor at Calcutta University, he improved library infrastructure, boosted research, and encouraged the study of artifacts at the university.
His decision to form the Jana Sangh was driven by the need for an alternative voice for India's progress while staying attached to the cultural roots, the PM added.
Mookerjee, who was India's first industry minister, viewed industry as a means of restoring dignity, opportunity and confidence to a newly independent nation, he stressed, and recalled his role in pioneering initiatives like the Damodar Valley Corporation and the Sindri Fertilizer Plant.
PM Modi said Mookerjee was vocal against the First Amendment brought by Jawaharlal Nehru, and his criticism of the Congress was proven right later when Emergency was imposed in 1975.
