Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee is not just a person, but a living ideology: Dharmendra Pradhan

Remembering Bharatiya Jana Sangh’s founding president Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his death anniversary, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said that for BJP and Jana Sangh workers, Dr Mookerjee is not merely a person or a leader but a living ideology.

Pradhan along with Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta and other party workers paid floral tributes at Dr Mookerjee’s statue and mentioned that 72 years ago, he had entered Jammu and Kashmir opposing the concept of “two systems in one country,” which made history.

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The union minister stated that Dr Mookerjee’s sacrifice was honored when Prime Minister Narendra Modi abrogated Article 370 in the year 2019.

The memorial meeting in the honor of the Jana Sangh founder was presided by Delhi BJP chief, where senior leaders also shared inspiring stories from Dr Mookerjee’s life.

Slogans like “Jahan balidan hue Mookerjee, woh Kashmir hamara hai” (The Kashmir where Mookerjee sacrificed his life is ours) were raised by a large number of party leaders and workers.

Pradhan noted that post-independence, the country had diverse ideological groups—communalists, communists, and nationalists, adding that Dr Mookerjee, often disagreeing with Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru’s policies, chose to resign from the cabinet.

Pradhan mentioned that this critical moment led him to join hands with RSS and establish an alternative political ideology in the form of Jana Sangh.

The Union Minister further emphasized that India is now close to being free from Naxalism, confined to just a few districts, and during the last ten years. PM Modi has steadfastly ensured national security and sovereignty, while the foundation of this governance is rooted in Dr Mookerjee’s ideas.

Mookerjee offered original and alternative views on education, language, small industries, national security, foreign policy, and the Constitution.

Together, Dr Mookerjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya are considered the two wheels of the BJP, which has now completed 11 years of governance focused on service and welfare, reaching the last person in society.

Speaking on the occasion, Sachdeva said that to understand nationalism, national policy, Indian politics, or culture, one must read the life of Mookerjee, who was a profound thinker, fearless leader, and true patriot – the first martyred leader of independent India, Delhi BJP chief added.

Delhi BJP chief said the founder of the Jana Sangh raised his voice against the then government’s policy of “two constitutions in one country,” and the circumstances of his death have always raised suspicion.

He added that after his death, Mookerjee’s mother wrote a letter to the then-PM Nehru, expressing that she wanted not a justification, but an inquiry into her son’s death, as he was arrested and sent to a state with no constitutional authority, denied proper treatment, and died in unjust conditions.

CM Gupta said that Mookerjee began the fight for national unity and integrity, declaring that “two constitutions in one country” was unacceptable and asserted Kashmir belongs entirely to India.