Context: Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan paid floral tributes to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee at Uprashtrapati Bhawan on his 125th birth anniversary.
About Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee:
Who He Is?
- Syama Prasad Mookerjee (1901 – 1953) was an eminent Indian statesman, academician, barrister, and champion of cultural nationalism. He was the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and served as Independent India’s first Union Minister for Industry and Supply under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet.
Early Life and Education:
- Lineage: Born on 6 July 1901 in Calcutta, Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the son of Sir Asutosh Mookerjee, a renowned educationist and judge of the Calcutta High Court.
- Academic Record: He graduated from Calcutta University, became a Senate Fellow in 1923, and enrolled as an advocate of the Calcutta High Court in 1924.
- Legal & Academic Milestones: After qualifying as a Barrister-at-Law from Lincoln’s Inn (1927), he became the youngest Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University in 1934 and promoted vernacular education.
Political Career:
- Provincial Assembly Stint: Elected to the Bengal Legislative Council in 1929, he later served as Leader of the Opposition (1937–41) after winning as an independent.
- Finance Minister of Bengal: He served as Finance Minister (1941–42) in A.K. Fazlul Huq’s Progressive Coalition Ministry, handling Bengal’s financial administration.
- Ideological Realignment: He joined the Hindu Mahasabha, becoming its President (1943–46), but resigned in 1948 over differences regarding inclusive membership.
- Founding the Jana Sangh: In 1951, he founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, became its first president, and entered Parliament after the 1952 general elections.
Key Contributions to India’s Freedom Movement & Partition:
- Resignation over British Oppression (1942): He resigned as Bengal’s Finance Minister to protest British repression during the Quit India Movement and criticized colonial rule in his banned work A Phase of the Indian Struggle.
- Relief During the Bengal Famine (1943): He organized large-scale famine relief with organizations like the Ramakrishna Mission and Mahabodhi Society, providing food, medicine, and shelter.
- Bengali Hindu Homeland Movement (1946–47): He opposed the United Bengal proposal and successfully campaigned for the creation of West Bengal within the Indian Union.
- Constituent Assembly Member: As a member of the Constituent Assembly, he contributed to debates on minority rights, language policy, and cultural preservation.
Last Days and the Kashmir Satyagraha:
- Cabinet Exit (1950): He resigned from Nehru’s Cabinet over the Liaquat–Nehru Pact, arguing it inadequately protected Hindus in East Pakistan.
- Satyagraha Against Article 370: He opposed Jammu & Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 and popularized the slogan, Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan aur do Nishan nahi chalenge.
- Arrest and Martyrdom (1953): Arrested after entering Jammu & Kashmir without a permit, he died in custody on 23 June 1953, and his death intensified demands for national integration.
