New Delhi [India], July 6 (ANI): On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva said that the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, served as a true tribute to Mookerjee, emphasising that his vision of nationalism continues to guide the BJP today.

Addressing the event in Delhi, Sachdeva said, 'If you want to understand nationalism, national policy and India and its culture, then one should read the life of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee. His journey is a 'nationalist' journey... The way he raised his voice against Muslim appeasement. When Bharatiya Jana Sangh was formed on October 21, 1951, the ideology of nationalism was the result today in the form of BJP. The ideology that he had nurtured today stands as the largest party (BJP) in the world...'

Recalling Syama Prasad Mookerjee's consistent stand on Jammu and Kashmir, Sachdeva said, 'Till the time he was in Cabinet, he always raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. He had clear policy on Jammu and Kashmir - it's an integral part of India and there should not be two Constitutions in one country...'

The Delhi BJP unit President expressed his happiness that he is a worker of a party that has made Mookerjee's ideas their fundamental policy.

Sachdeva stated, 'I am happy that I am a worker of a party that made Dr Mookerjee's ideas their fundamental policy. Today, under the leadership of PM Modi, we are nurturing those ideas. We all remember August 5, 2019.'

'A true tribute to Dr Mookerjee was given on that day, the day when Article 370 was abrogated. If there is one thread that binds the entire nation for national unity and integrity, it is Syama Prasad Mukherjee,' said the Delhi BJP President.

Earlier today, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and other party leaders paid floral tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary.

Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the ideological parent organisation of the BJP.

Born on July 6, 1901, in Calcutta, was a multifaceted personality - patriot, educationist, parliamentarian, statesman, and humanitarian. He inherited a legacy of erudition and nationalism from his father, Sir Ashutosh Mookerjee, an esteemed Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University and Judge of the Calcutta High Court.

Post-Independence, he joined the interim government under Jawaharlal Nehru as Minister for Industry and Supply, where he laid the foundation for India's industrial growth by establishing iconic institutions like the Chittaranjan Locomotive Factory, Sindri Fertilizer Corporation and the Hindustan.

However, ideological differences led to his resignation, after which he founded the All-India Bharatiya Jan Sangh (1951) to champion nationalist ideals.

According to the BJP's official website, on the issue of the Delhi pact with Likayat Ali Khan, Mookerjee resigned from the Cabinet on April 6, 1950. Later on October 21, 1951, Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in Delhi and became its first president.

Mookerjee went to visit Kashmir in 1953 and was arrested on May 11. He died under detention on June 23, 1953. (ANI)