SYAMA PRASAD MOOKERJEE 122ND BIRTH ANNIVERSARY: Founder of the Bhartiya Jana Sangh, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee was born on July 6, 1901. He was independent India’s first Minister of Industry and Supply. He co-founded the Janata Party in 1977. Syama Prasad Mookerjee fought for the cause of Jammu and Kashmir’s complete integration with the Union of India. On his 122nd birthday anniversary, here’s a look at some facts about his life.

1. Born into aBrahmin family on July 6, 1901, in then Calcutta, Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the son of Ashutosh Mookerjee, a barrister, and Jogmaya Devi, a scholar.
2. He pursued a legal education and earned his Bachelor of Laws degree at the age of 23. He furthered his academic pursuits and obtained an MA in Bengali as well as another degree in English.
3. Syama Prasad Mookerjee enrolled as a lawyer in the Calcutta High Court in 1924.
4. Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s passion for education and politics intertwined throughout his career. In 1929, he became a member of the Bengal Legislative Council and went on to serve as the youngest Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta from 1934 to 1938. It was during his tenure that Rabindranath Tagore delivered the university convocation address in Bengali for the first time, a significant milestone in the history of the institution.
5. He was elected to the Bengal Legislative Council as a Congress candidate from Calcutta University. A year later, he resigned only to be re-elected as an independent candidate.
6. Mookerjee’s journey into Hindutva politics began when he joined the Hindu Mahasabha, ultimately becoming its president in 1944.
7. In 1946, Mookerjee demanded the partition of Bengal, aiming to prevent the inclusion of Hindu-majority areas in East Pakistan.
8. After consultation with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s MS Golwalkar, Syama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jan Sangh in 1951 as its first president.
9. Mookerjee was one of the three candidates elected on Jana Sangh ticket in the 1952 election. He represented the South Calcutta seat.
10. Mookerjee was found dead in mysterious circumstances on June 23, 1953, after his arrest in Kashmir. He was detained in Srinagar for over a month before his death for protesting against the special status and permit system in Jammu & Kashmir.