Bhopal, June 23 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, on Monday, paid tribute to the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) idealogue, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, on his death anniversary.

The Chief Minister along with the State BJP President V.D. Sharma and several other party leaders and workers gathered at the party headquarters in Bhopal on this occasion and remembered the legendary freedom fighter, who sacrificed his life for the country.

Addressing a large gathering of BJP leaders and workers in this occasion, Chief Minister Yadav lauded Mookerjee’s sacrifices, recalling that the legendary leader was the first who had opposed “two constitution” in the country.

“Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s life and his sacrifices is a learning for us. He devoted his entire life for the nation. Unity of country was the first priority for him. His ‘Balidan Divas’ (death anniversary) is just not to remember him, but to learn from his life,” the Chief Minister said.

Mookerjee, a prominent nationalist leader and a key figure in post-Independence India, is remembered for his fierce opposition to Article 370 and for playing a central role in the movement to integrate Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India.

Mookerjee had been detained for 45 days for violating Article 370, which at the time mandated that Indian citizens obtain a permit to enter Jammu and Kashmir.

His arrest and subsequent death in custody on June 23, 1953, sent shockwaves across the country.

Mookerjee, who had turned to public agitation outside the Parliament to express his opposition to Article 370, had strongly criticised the arrangement as the “Balkanisation of India” and equated it to the “three-nation theory” of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah.

According to the BJP website, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, along with the Hindu Mahasabha and the Ram Rajya Parishad, launched a major Satyagraha movement demanding the abrogation of the “pernicious provisions” of Article 370.

In May 1953, Mookerjee attempted to enter Jammu and Kashmir without a permit and was arrested on May 11.

He died in custody on June 23, 1953.

–IANS

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