Bengal goes big on Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s 125 birth anniversary, to spend Rs 200 crore on year-long celebrations

The West Bengal government has gone all-out to celebrate Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS) founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s 125th birth anniversary, especially after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed its government for the first time in the state. The BJS is considered to be the political predecessor of BJP.

Addressing a commemorative programme at the Mitra Institution in Bhawanipur, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Monday that Rs 200 crore will be spent by his government this year to commemorate the ideologue’s birth anniversary. Moreover, his contributions to the nation, along with his role in the creation of West Bengal, will be incorporated into the state’s school and university curriculum from the next academic session.

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Mookerjee had studied between 1906 and 1917 and later served on the school’s managing committee from 1924 to 1938.

Chief Minister Shri @SuvenduWB paid solemn tributes to Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee on his Birth Anniversary and emphasized the historical significance of the day. He criticized past regimes for attempting to diminish the legacy of the nationalist leader. Shri Suvendu Adhikari… pic.twitter.com/U1kDn2aoyw

— BJP West Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) July 6, 2026

Adhikari said the state government wants future generations to learn about Mookerjee’s contribution to the country, particularly his role in the formation of West Bengal, his nationalist ideals, his speeches in the legislature, his tenure as independent India’s first Industry Minister, and his work as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta.

He said these subjects would be included in the curriculum from the next academic year, from the school level up to universities, so that students become familiar with an important chapter of the state’s history. The Chief Minister also announced a series of measures for the preservation and modernisation of the heritage institution.

As the local MLA from Bhawanipur, he sanctioned Rs 25 lakh from his MLA Local Area Development Fund for renovation of the school building. He said the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Commissioner had been directed to send engineers by August to prepare a comprehensive restoration plan while ensuring that the institution’s heritage character remains intact.

Adhikari further directed the Education Department to take steps for bringing the school under the Centre’s PM SHRI scheme to facilitate infrastructure development. He also asked officials to explore the possibility of linking the institution with another Central government educational initiative named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Highlighting the government’s larger commemorative plans, the Chief Minister said the Information and Cultural Affairs Department would spend around Rs 200 crore during the current financial year on projects marking Mookerjee’s 125 birth anniversary.

These include the construction of a 125-foot statue of the nationalist leader and other memorial initiatives. He said officials had been asked to examine whether a portion of the allocation could also be utilised for the development of Mitra Institution.

Interacting with students, Adhikari urged them to place the nation above all else, saying that Mookerjee, like Swami Vivekananda, regarded Bharat Mata as the highest ideal.

To encourage young people to learn about India’s cultural heritage, he announced that 1,000 students of the school would receive complimentary copies of Sister Nivedita’s classic “The Master As I Saw Him”.

He said the greatest tribute to Mookerjee would be to uphold the principle of “Nation First.” Meanwhile, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya alleged that successive Left Front and Congress governments had failed to adequately highlight Mookerjee’s contribution to the country’s history.

He claimed that the nationalist leader’s role had been overlooked for decades due to political considerations and welcomed the state government’s decision to include his life and work in the academic curriculum.