News Brief
How Modi Government Plans To Honour The Legacy Of Shyama Prasad Mookerji, Founder Of BJP's Predecessor Jana Sangh
Shyama Prasad Mookerjee
The Ministry of Culture has announced a two-year nationwide commemoration (6 July 2025 – 6 July 2027) marking the 125th birth anniversary of Bharat Kesari Syama Prasad Mookerjee, highlighting his role in shaping India’s political, educational, and industrial trajectory.
Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, addressing the launch event, described Mookerjee as a visionary whose dream of “one nation, one flag, one Constitution” is now being realised.
“He must be blessing us,” Shekhawat said, referencing milestones like Chandrayaan and changes in Jammu & Kashmir.
Shekhawat added that the Modi government continues to pursue Mookerjee’s vision of a strong, self-reliant India.
“After independence, how India should be built and how it should become a developed nation — to give shape to that vision, the present Modi government is continuously moving forward on the path shown by him.,” he said.
The two-year commemoration (July 6, 2025 – July 6, 2027) will feature a series of events, exhibitions, and outreach programmes across India to highlight Mookerjee’s multifaceted legacy, from nation-building and education to industrial growth and cultural diplomacy.
Syama Prasad Mookerjee was a nationalist leader, barrister, and educationist who played a key role in shaping India's post-independence political direction.
Born in 1901, he became the youngest Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University and later served as India’s first Minister for Industry in Nehru’s cabinet.
In 1951, he founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in opposition to the Congress Party, laying the ideological foundation for today’s BJP.
He fiercely opposed Article 370 and Jammu & Kashmir’s special status, and died in 1953 under mysterious circumstances after being arrested during a protest in Kashmir.
During the event on Culture Ministry Secretary Vivek Aggarwal called Mookerjee a “great patriot” and said the commemoration will be observed in every state and union territory.
“It will continue for the next two years as a continuous tribute,” he said, as per a press release from PIB India.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh praised Mookerjee’s scholarly achievements and his ideological firmness, recalling his principled resignation from the Nehru Cabinet.
Other speakers, including Mahesh Chandra Sharma and Dr. Anirban Ganguly, reflected on Mookerjee’s resistance to Partition and Article 370.
A special stamp, coin, and exhibitions were also unveiled alongside theatre and musical tributes from CCRT and NSD.
