BJP leaders in West Bengal paid tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his death anniversary. Agnimitra Paul slammed the previous TMC government, alleging a ‘climate of fear’ and praised the new BJP government under CM Suvendu Adhikari.
West Bengal BJP leaders on Tuesday paid floral tribute to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his death anniversary. State Minister Agnimitra Paul and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rahul Sinha paid floral tributes in Kolkata.
BJP Slams Previous Govt, Hails New Budget
Speaking to ANI, Agnimitra Paul hit out at the past state government, alleging an atmosphere of fear in celebrating Syama Prasad Mookerjee. The West Bengal Minister said, “All these years we could not even celebrate, let alone telling the next generation. We couldn’t even take this day forward. There was an atmosphere of fear, and there were incidents of putting blank ink on Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s face. Thanks to our CM Suvendu Adhikari, this day is being celebrated and remembered, and it is the responsibility of every citizen of Bengal that not only the children of Bengal, of Bharat, the entire world should also know the contribution of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee for Bengal, for Kashmir, for industry, for entire India. We should be indebted to this man.”
Further, she also hailed the budget of the first-ever BJP government in the state. She also alleged that North Bengal did not receive any benefits in the previous budgets, as the region did not vote in large numbers for the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Paul said, “For the Suvendu Adhikari government, every citizen of Bengal is equal. But for the previous Government, your stature was decided on how many votes you got for that Government, for that party. North Bengal didn’t vote for TMC, so North Bengal didn’t get any kind of benefits from the Government. For us, North Bengal and the people of North Bengal are very important, and that is the reason we have taken this step.”
In the budget, the BJP government announced that a museum will be established to commemorate 150 years of Vande Mataram and Syama Prasad Mukherjee’s birthday, July 6, will be declared a state government holiday.
Tributes Paid in Delhi
Meanwhile, in Delhi, Union Minister and Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and other Delhi BJP leaders paid floral tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his death anniversary in the national capital. Delhi Minister Pankaj Singh said, “We have had the good fortune to pay tribute to our guide, who sacrificed for our country and gave direction to the nation. We all have paid our tributes to him.”
Who Was Syama Prasad Mookerjee?
Syama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh on October 21, 1951. Mookerjee was a tall political figure in pre-independence India and was the Finance Minister in the Progressive Coalition Ministry headed by Fazlul Haq, from which he resigned in less than a year. He also joined the Hindu Mahasabha, but later quit the year Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated.
After independence, former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inducted him into the Interim Central Government as a Minister for Industry and Supply. He was a staunch opponent of Article 370 of the Constitution, which was later repealed in 2019 by the BJP government. He passed away in Kashmir on June 23, 1953.
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