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Dr.Syama Prasad Mookerjee will always be remembered for his supreme sacrifice for upholding the Indian nation in Jammu and Kashmir. His vision was guided by the principle of one nation. He was a statesman who had inherited scholarship and educational excellence from his father, the illustrious Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee. Syama Babu’s contribution to the nation is exemplary. His activism for the unity of India is second to none. He was a politician who believed in the politics of consensus and even valued the criticism of his opponents. He was a true democrat. He proved that being the right winger does not mean my way or highway. But his political vision was based in the Indic values of inclusivity. That is why he was taken as Minister for Industry and Supply that is presently known as Minister of Commerce and Industry in Nehru’s cabinet. He broke away with the Hindu Maha Sabha and was part of Nehru’s cabinet. This speaks about his political acceptability and popularity among the masses. Later he resigned from Nehru’s cabinet as a protest against the Nehru-Liaquat Pact. Later he founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) which later emerged as the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) that is today one of the largest cadre based political parties and is at the helm of affairs and ruling the nation with a strong leadership. Dr.Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s relation with Jammu and Kashmir is important as he led the agitation to integrate the princely state with the rest of India with full dedication. In 1953 he went to Kashmir and observed a hunger strike to end the permit system to enter into Jammu and Kashmir. He became the bitter opponent to the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and wanted the citizens of the entire state to be at par with the rest of India. He was kept under detention by the then government in Jammu and Kashmir. But unfortunately he lost his life due to an allergy to the medicine and he passed away after suffering a heart attack. His death in custody raised suspicion and his supporters described his untimely death as a foul play. His mother Jog Maya Devi even wrote to then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru for an inquiry but it was ignored. Till date the real cause of his death has not been ascertained. It is hoped that the present BJP government at the centre that owes its rise in the national political turf to the objectives and vision set by Syama Babu will set up an enquiry commission to ascertain the real cause of his untimely demise. With his demise too early India lost a true patriot who stood for one nation and one people. He was a scholar and statesman par excellence who had acceptability across the party lines and represented the true democratic spirit of Indian democracy. He was a man of letters and was aptly awarded the Degree of D.Litt. He became the youngest Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta at an early age of 33.This speaks about his acumen and towering personality. His birth anniversary was on 6th July. The nation paid him rich tributes and rightly so. He was a true son of Mother India who laid down his life for the national integration in Jammu and Kashmir. His martyrdom for national integration has not gone in vain. It was due to the path shown by him that Article 370 and 35 A were neutralised in August 2019. Dr.Mookerjee’s vision of inclusive and united nation has prevailed and this the real tribute to this great patriot.
