Born in a Bengali family in Kolkata on July 22, 1901, Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the predecessor of the ruling BJP. His political journey began in 1929 when he entered the Bengal Legislative Council as an Indian National Congress (INC) candidature presenting Calcutta University. But, later resigned and fought as an independent candidate in the same year.
Mookerjee had given the slogan of 'no two Constitutions, no two Prime Ministers and no two flags in one nation'. Mookerjee, who was known to be a harsh critic of the Congress party in independent India, was against Article 370 and 35A had expressed his displeasure at special status for Jammu and Kashmir. He founded Bharatiya Jana Sangh that later became the BJP. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee questioned why Jammu and Kashmir was kept out of the President's jurisdiction and why Congress agreed to a need for special permission to enter J&K.
The crux of the stand taken by Mookerjee is to be found in his letter to Pandit Nehru on February 3, 1953. He wrote that the issue of accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India should not be allowed to hang fire.
On 5 August 2019, when Modi government proposed a constitutional Amendment to repeal Article 370, many reports described the event as realisation of Syama Prasad Mukherjee's dream.
BJP working president J P Nadda after Article 370 was scrapped has said that the "national commitment" of his party which was fulfilled by the Narendra Modi government. "It was our national commitment and love towards the people of J&K. We wanted to bring the people there into the mainstream," Nadda had said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national President J.P. Nadda on Tuesday paid tributes to the founder of Jana Sangh Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his death anniversary.
"Tribute to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the great son of India on his death anniversary," Modi said in a tweet.
Shah also recalled the works of Mookerjee and said that he never compromised on the integrity of India and laid his life for the country. In a series of tweets, Shah said, "Mookerjee, was a hero who not only fought for the country's independence but also fought for the integrity of the country and laid his life. His tenacity and struggle to keep Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India is praiseworthy."
"He did not take time to resign from the government without compromising on the people and country's interest. His life and works will inspire crores of people like me, tributes to such a unique symbol of national identity," Shah said in another tweet in Hindi.
Nadda also took to Twitter and wrote, "Tributes to Mookerjee on his death anniversary, who opposed one nation, two constitutions, and was a source of inspiration for the abolition of Article 370 and 35A for all round development of Jammu and Kashmir."
