Dr.SP Mukherjee. (1901-1953)
23 June2012 was Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee’s 60th death
anniversary.
He died in Srinagar where he
was kept in jail and he died under mysterious circumstances.
Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in
1951, after the differences with Pandit Nehru.
On the invitation of Mahatma
Gandhi, Syama Prasad joined the first national Governament in August 1947.
He disagreed with the policy
of the Government towards Pakistan as indicated by the Nehru-Liaqat Pact of
1950 and resigned from the Central Cabinet in April of that year.
In October, 1951, he
organized the Bhartiya Jana Sangh, and
became its founder President. The rest of his life was spent in actively
building up this party. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee championed the cause of
integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India. He was arrested in
Srinagar and died on 23rd June, 1953, while in custody. His funeral in Calcutta
saw an outburst of feeling, which was unusual in shape and size. A pure and
manly life was the ideal Dr. Shyama Prasad set before himself and he lived up
to it. He was a nationalist to the core of his heart.
Country comes first was his
watchword, and he died a martyr for the cause of the country. His death created
a void in the public life of the nation as a whole and of West Bengal in
particular, which is hard to fill. His services were lost to the country at a
time when they were most essentially required. He was one of the few persons
who could have given a lead to the intelligentsia of West Bengal in the
difficult situation arising out of partition. However, his legacy will ever be
fresh and will guide the political, cultural and educational activities of the
nation for many years to come.
The Post and Telegraphs Department issued a
commemorative stamp in honor of this great son of India.