"...When his health deteriorated, he was not given proper treatment... Pandit Nehru, your statements are hollow..."

PM Modi, CM Yogi Along with Other BJP Leaders Pay Tribute to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee

Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Death Anniversary News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, along with other BJP leaders, on June 23 paid tribute to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his death anniversary across various regions.

In a post on X, PM Modi, remembering one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, wrote, “Heartfelt tributes to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his martyrdom day. He displayed unparalleled courage and determination to preserve the unity and integrity of the nation. His invaluable contribution to nation-building will always be remembered with deep respect.”

Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee (1901–1953) was an Indian politician, barrister, academician, and one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (precursor to today’s BJP). Born on 6 July 1901 in Kolkata, he became the youngest Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University at the age of 33 and later served as India’s first Minister of Industry and Supply in Prime Minister Nehru’s cabinet.

Mookerjee strongly opposed Article 370 and the permit system for non-Kashmiris. In May 1953, he entered Jammu & Kashmir without a permit to challenge these measures and was arrested by state authorities.

While detained in Srinagar’s “maternity home,” he reportedly suffered severe health issues. Eyewitness accounts suggest he became critically ill late on June 22. Officially, Mookerjee died of a heart attack around 2:30 AM on June 23, 1953.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also paid floral tribute to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee in UP.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Yogi Adityanath said, "… great son of Mother India. On this day in 1953, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee sacrificed his life for Akhand Bharat. He was a great scholar, freedom fighter and a visionary of 'Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat'. As a cabinet minister in independent India, he played a major role in deciding the industrial policy of the country..."

"After the first general election in 1952, the then government challenged national unity by inserting Article 370 in the Constitution. The permit system was implemented in Kashmir, and the people sitting in the government itself started challenging the security of the country and the national unity... The removal of Article 370 in Kashmir is a sign of gratitude of Prime Minister Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government towards Syama Prasad Mookerjee..." he further stated.

On the death anniversary of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri thanked the Prime Minister for fulfilling the dream of Mookerjee to remove Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.

MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, speaking to ANI, stated,"...I want to express my gratitude to PM Modi that Shyama Prasad Mukherjee's dream was to remove 370 from Kashmir and there cannot be two constitutions in a country, PM Modi has fulfilled the slogan he had given, so the entire nation expresses its gratitude to PM Modi."

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh pays Tribute

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also paid floral tribute to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his death anniversary and, reflecting on his deeds, stated, “Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee had said that India is one from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.”

He also pointed out that Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee "had opposed the system of taking permit to enter Kashmir.”

National and State BJP Leadership

Union Minister and BJP National President JP Nadda alleged that the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru did not respond to the inquiry request made by the mother of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, and that the opposition's voice was ignored.

JP Nadda stated,"...He died mysteriously in Srinagar jail on 23 June 1953. At that time, Bharatiya Jana Sangh was very small. We raised our voice. The opposition said that there should be an inquiry. Syama Prasad Mookerjee's mother also wrote a letter to Jawaharlal Nehru saying that there should be an inquiry about this, but it was not heard..."

Nadda also said, "Due to ideological differences and the appeasement policy of Dr. Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee resigned from his cabinet and later he was among the founding members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He opposed the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir..."

He paid floral tribute at the BJP Headquarters.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav pays Tribute    

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and State BJP President VD Sharma also paid tributes to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his death anniversary.

Mohan Yadav stated, “We have not forgotten that Dr. Ambedkar opposed Article 370, but even after that, Congress introduced this Article in the Constitution...”

Delhi BJP Chief Virendra Sachdeva pays Tribute

While paying tribute, Delhi BJP Chief Virendra Sachdeva read out the letter written by Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s mother to then Prime Minister Pandit Nehru.

He stated, "We all know that Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee had protested against Nehru's policy of 'Do vidhan, do pradhan, aur do nishan' and the circumstances in which he died have always been viewed with suspicion.”

He further stated, “The letter I am reading in front of you today was written by his mother to the then Prime Minister Pandit Nehru. If you pay attention to her words, you will realise that it is not a mother's pain but the entire nation's pain. She begins with the words, "I don't want your explanation. I want an inquiry. My son was arrested and sent to a state where the Constitution had no authority. The conditions in which he was kept were unconstitutional. When his health deteriorated, he was not given proper treatment... Pandit Nehru, your statements are hollow..."

On the death anniversary of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, BJP leaders across the country paid tribute.