PM Modi, other BJP leaders pay tributes to Mookerjee on death anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP leaders on Wednesday in paying tributes to party ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who founded its progenitor Jana Sangh, on his 68th death anniversary.

"Remembering Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his Punya Tithi. His noble ideals, rich thoughts and commitment to serve people will continue to inspire us. His efforts towards national integration will never be forgotten," Modi tweeted.

Home Minister Amit Shah said Mookerjee sacrificed himself to safeguard India's identity and integrity, and saved the country from another division.

His sacrifice, dedication and ideals will guide the coming generations, he said, adding that Mookerjee was an architect of cultural nationalism who favoured making mother tongue the medium of education.

He founded Jana Sangh not due to greed for power but for national reconstruction, Shah said.

Paying tributes, BJP president J P Nadda said Mookerjee dedicated his life to the country's unity and integrity while living for cultural nationalism.

Mookerjee was a strident critic of the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 by the then Congress government and was arrested after he entered the state to protest the requirement for a permit to do so.

He died under detention. While the government then said his death was due to health reasons, Jana Sangh and later the BJP have often questioned the claim.

Revocation of Article 370 had been a foundational credo of the BJP, and the Modi government fulfilled it in 2019 after coming to power for a second term.