Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 6 (ANI): Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday described Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee as an 'ardent' nationalist leader and noted that the tricolour is now 'flying high' in Kashmir.

'We pay our respects at the feet of the ardent nationalist leader and founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee. It was Dr. Mukherjee who established Bharatiya Jana Sangh as a new political party based on Indian culture, values, and traditions, as an alternative to Congress,' Chouhan said in Bhopal in his tribute to Shyama Prasad Mookerjee on the occasion of his birthday.

Recalling Mookerjee's protest against Article 370, Chouhan said, 'The Jana Sangh proclaimed that there cannot be two flags, two constitutions, and two heads in one country... He made the supreme sacrifice, and today, by paying our respects at his feet, we feel satisfied that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, his resolve has been fulfilled. The tricolour is now flying high in Kashmir.'

Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the ideological parent organisation of the BJP.

Born on July 6, 1901, in Calcutta, was a multifaceted personality - patriot, educationist, parliamentarian, statesman, and humanitarian. He inherited a legacy of erudition and nationalism from his father, Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee, an esteemed Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University and Judge of the Calcutta High Court.

In 1940, he became the acting President of the Hindu Mahasabha and declared complete independence for India as its political goal.

Mookerjee resigned from the Bengal Cabinet in November 1942, protesting against the Governor's interference in administration and criticising provincial autonomy as ineffective.

His humanitarian efforts during the Bengal famine of 1943, including relief initiatives, highlighted his commitment to serving society.

Post-Independence, he joined the interim government under Jawaharlal Nehru as Minister for Industry and Supply, where he laid the foundation for India's industrial growth by establishing iconic institutions like the Chittaranjan Locomotive Factory, Sindri Fertilizer Corporation and the Hindustan.

However, ideological differences led to his resignation, after which he founded the All-India Bharatiya Jan Sangh (1951) to champion nationalist ideals.

According to the BJP's official website, on the issue of the Delhi pact with Likayat Ali Khan, Mookerjee resigned from the Cabinet on April 6, 1950. Later on October 21, 1951, Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in Delhi and became its first president.

Mookerjee went to visit Kashmir in 1953 and was arrested on May 11. He died under detention on June 23, 1953. (ANI)