41) Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Honouring a prominent Nationalist, Freedom Fighter, Educationist and Founder of the Bhartiya Jana Sangh (06.07.1901 – 23.06.1953)

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

Honouring a  prominent Nationalist, Freedom Fighter, Educationist and Founder of the Bhartiya Jana Sangh (06.07.1901 – 23.06.1953)

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee (or Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee) was born on 6^th July 1901 in a prominent family of Bengal. He studied at the Calcutta University (present day Kolkata), from where he obtained his graduation and post graduation degrees.  He was elected a fellow of the University senate in 1923.

His father Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee was a leading advocate in Calcutta and after he passed away, Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee took over his law practice, as an advocate at Calcutta High Court in 1924.   

Nevertheless, he went to England in 1926 to pursue higher studies, where he became a barrister in 1927. 

Educationist:

He returned to India and ,in 1934, he became the vice-chancellor of Calcutta University (at the age of 33)  for a five year term (he had already had some experience in knowing about the affairs of the University, because he had seen his father at work , while his father held the post of Vice-Chancellor at Calcutta University, before him). 

During his tenure as vice-chancellor, he introduced several reforms in the University. He was, also, a member of the Council of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the Chairman of the Inter-University Board.

Freedom Fighter ,Indian Nationalist leader  and early political career:

He was a great scholar and fervent Nationalist. He was the founder of the Bhartiya Jana Sangh (BJS) His political career was distinctly marked with his high idealism.

He was elected as a member of the Legislative Council of Bengal as a Congress candidate representing Calcutta University in 1929, but resigned the position when the Congress boycotted the legislature in 1930. In 1937 he got re-elected from the University constituency.

When the Quit India Movement started in 1942, the British Government suppressed it ruthlessly and jailed most of the Indian National Congress leaders. Dr. Mookerjee was the Finance Minister of Bengal Province during 1941-42. With no one left to take up the Nationalist cause, he took up cudgels with the British Government and as a mark of protest against British atrocities quit the Bengal Cabinet to lead the Nationalist movement against the British.

He was a Hindu political leader who felt the need to oppose the communist ideology but was not anti-muslim. He stood against the partition of India and Pakistan being strongly advocated by the Muslim League and always advocated peaceful co-existence between the two major religious communities in India. He reasoned that if partition took place on religious grounds, then India would have a precedent for further sub-divisions where each religious community would ask for a separate state for themselves for e.g.: Punjab for the Sikhs.

He joined the Hindu Mahasabha in 1944, of which he became the President. During this time Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (popularly known as Veer Savarkar) made a distinct impression on him.

(During my visit to the Cellular Jail at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1995, I have seen the tiny cell in which V.D. Savarkar was incarcerated by the British Government and my tour guide Farid told me of the atrocities heaped upon him by the British Jail authorities. The closest comparison that I can think of is the movie “Invictus”, where Matt Damon in his role as the rugby captain of the South African team visits the cell where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for most of his life in South Africa and ponders over the injustices of the human race meted out to fellow humans. Incidentally, the International Airport at Port Blair is named after Veer Savarkar).

 A memorial to V.D. Savarkar erected outside his hostel room in the Deccan Education Society (present day Ferguson College in Pune).

 Nevertheless, Dr. Mookerjee wanted the Hindu Mahasabha not to be restricted to Hindus only but to work as an apolitical body for the service of the masses. When Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, it made the Hindu Mahasabha very unpopular and Dr. Mookerjee became disillusioned with it and left the Mahasabha.

During the Bengal famine in 1943, he worked tirelessly and helped several affected persons.

Views on Partition, later political career  and differences with Nehru:

 Although he was a strong advocate against partition, the communal riots in 1946-47 which resulted in the massacre of persons, and all efforts to have a united Bengal having failed, he reluctantly, let the State be partitioned into a predominantly Muslim populated East Pakistan and Hindu majority areas of West Bengal (part of the Indian Union).

He was nominated as the Minister for Industry and Supply in the fourteen member, Central Government Cabinet of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru which started functioning on 15^th August 1947, but resigned his post on account of differences with Nehru on policy matters relating to pacts and agreements with newly created Pakistan. His major differences of opinion with Nehru were on the undernoted issues:

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He did not approve of the joint pact with Liaqat Ali Khan, the Pakistani Prime Minister (termed the 1950 Delhi Pact) for establishing minority commissions and guarantee minority rights in both countries, because he held the then Pakistani Government directly responsible for the influx of millions of Hindu refugees from East Pakistan, who had left the State fearing religious suppression and violence aided by the country.

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He strongly criticized the favouritism and policy of appeasement by the Nehru administration.

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He stood for free-market economics/enterprise as opposed to the socialism promoted by Nehru’s policies.

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 He wanted a uniform civil code for both Hindus and Muslims, and a ban on cow slaughter.

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He advocated for doing away with the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir and integration of the State with the Indian Union (an issue which is still the nightmare of present day Government led by the Congress Party).

After leaving The Congress, he founded the Bhartiya Jana Sangh (BJS) in 1951, along with Madhav Sadashiv Gowalkar, leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the first Hindu Nationalist party of its kind.  which soon became a prominent National Political Party. 

Later on, Dr.Mookerjee was nominated the leader of the Opposition in Parliament and because of his powerful oratory he was nicknamed as the “Lion of Indian Parliament”.

Death and legacy:

He went to Kashmir in 1953 and went on a hunger strike to protest against a law prohibiting Indian citizens from settling in Jammu and Kashmir – a dichotomy – considering that it was a State which was a part of their own country and the need to carry Identity Cards. Later on, as a result of his Protests, the I.D. Card rule for Jammu and Kashmir was revoked.

 During his protest trip to Jammu and Kashmir he was arrested by the Administration on 11^th May 1953 and he breathed his last on 23^rd June 1953, while still in detention under questionable circumstances.

The resultant public hue and cry, including written requests from Dr. Mookerjee’s mother, left Nehru unmoved and he refused to institute an enquiry into the matter, stating that there was nothing unusual behind his death, because he feared that the actual circumstances which led to Dr. Mookerjee’s death could never be made publicly known for fear of a public backlash. Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee (Prime Minister of India from 1998 to 2004) termed Dr. Mookerjee’s death as a “Nehru conspiracy”.

He died as he had lived – a pure and courageous soul, standing up resolutely for the causes he believed in and, for him the country came first , above all else. His funeral took place in Calcutta (present day Kolkata) which was attended by an unprecedented number of mourners.

He left behind him a rich legacy in Nationalism, Education, Culture and Politics of India.

The members of the RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad follow the ideals that he always stood for in building up the Indian Nation and a Resolute National character.  

Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who considered Dr. Mookerjee as his mentor, shaped the Bhartiya Jana Sangh (BJS) as a dominant political party over several decades and later, guided the BJS to change into the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) which formed the Government at the Centre from 1998 to 2004, with Atal Behari Vajpayee as the Prime Minister. 

Today the BJP is the largest Opposition Party in the Indian Parliament.

The CSIR has instituted a fellowship named after him.

There is a Bridge in Ahmedabad named after him.  

A junction near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum and Regal cinema in South Mumbai is named after him and a road has been named after him in New Delhi.

A newly constructed “Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre “was inaugurated in Delhi in 2010 by Home Minister P. Chidambaram, which houses the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Birth Centenary celebrations:

The Reserve Bank of India, to commemorate the birth centenary of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee has brought out a two rupee coin in 2001 to celebrate for general circulation.

The obverse of the coin has the Lion Capital in the centre together with the words “Satyameva Jayate” (Truth always Prevails) which together form the emblem/Coat of Arms of India. The numeral “2” denoting the denomination of the coin is below the emblem. On the left periphery are the words “Bharat” and “Rupiye” in Hindi and on the right periphery are the words “India” and “Rupees” in English.

On the reverse of the coin is a portrait/image of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, with his name spelt out both in Hindi and English. The words “Janamshati” in Hindi and “Centenary” in English are also engraved on the coin. This coin was minted at Noida mint. Notice the “dot” mint mark below the year of issue 2001.

The P&T Department also honoured him by issuing a commemorative stamp on him.

Posted on 31.03.13: 

India Government Mint Kolkata is taking bookings from 01.04.2013 to 31.05.2013 for four-coins sets (comprising Rs.100/-, Rs.50/- Rs.10/- and Rs.2 coins) both in Proof coin sets and uncirculated coin sets to commemorate the Birth centenary of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee. The Proof coin-sets are priced at Rs.11,004/- and the uncirculated coin sets are priced at Rs.10,526/-.