PM Modi pays tribute to Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary

New Delhi [India], July 6 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tribute to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary and said that his ideals and principles will continue to inspire every generation of the country.

"I bow down to the great nationalist thinker, educationist and founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary. He dedicated his life to building a strong India. His ideals and principles will continue to inspire every generation of the country," PM Modi said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also paid his tribute to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder, saying that the county will always be indebted to Mookerjee for his immense contribution towards the unity and integrity of the country.

"Revered Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee taught from his life that nothing is greater than national interest. Be it Kashmir or Bengal, we will always be indebted to Dr Mookerjee for his immense contribution towards the unity and integrity of the country. He paved the way for India's progress by laying the foundation of the first industrial policy. Dr Mookerjee's dedication to the nation and foresight will always guide us," Shah said in a tweet.

"Millions of salutes to such a great son of the country on his birth anniversary," the union home minister added.

Mookerjee, who was a politician, barrister and academician, served as the Minister for Industry and Supply in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet.

Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh.

Bharatiya Jana Sangh, founded in 1951, is the ideological parent organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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 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 as "detenu" on June 23, 1953.