The Delhi unit of the BJP on Monday commemorated the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee with floral tributes, a tree plantation drive, youth conclave and a memorial lecture, with senior BJP leaders highlighting his contribution to national unity, constitutional integrity and education.
Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra led party leaders in paying floral tributes at Mookerjee’s statue at Shaheedi Park before a memorial lecture and youth conclave were held at the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Civic Centre. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and CM Rekha Gupta addressed the gathering.
Speaking at the event, Gadkari said Dr Mookerjee’s legacy continued to inspire generations. “Unfortunately, Dr. Mookerjee is no longer with us. Any government can eliminate an individual or dismantle a system, but no one can destroy ideas. Dr Mookerjee’s ideals are immortal,” he said.
Emphasising India’s pluralistic traditions, Gadkari added, “The same reverence that we hold for Lord Shri Ram and Lord Shri Krishna, we also hold for Lord Mahavira and Gautama Buddha, because we believe that a person’s greatness lies in his virtues.”
CM Gupta said Mookerjee’s vision of India was steadily becoming a reality and recalled his opposition to the special constitutional status previously enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir. “It is a matter of great satisfaction that the India envisioned by Syama Prasad Mookerjee is taking shape and progressing every day,” she said, adding that PM Narendra Modi had fulfilled his vision through the abrogation of Article 370.
In his address, Harsh Malhotra traced Mookerjee’s academic and political journey, from becoming the youngest VC of the University of Calcutta to founding the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951. Recalling Mookerjee’s resignation from the Union Cabinet over the Nehru-Liaquat Pact, Malhotra quoted him as saying, “Nehru ji, I can give up the post of a minister, but not my duty towards the nation,” describing the remark as defining his public life.
Separately, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta paid tribute to Mookerjee at a commemorative programme organised by the Delhi Public Library in Chandni Chowk. Calling for greater recognition of overlooked national figures, Gupta said, “A nation’s historical consciousness is strengthened when it honours not only its celebrated heroes but also those whose contributions have faded from public memory.”
Describing Mookerjee as a leader guided by conviction rather than office, he said his resignation from the first Union Cabinet over differences on the Jammu and Kashmir policy reflected his unwavering commitment to national unity and constitutional integrity. Gupta said the Delhi Legislative Assembly had launched an initiative to document the lives of nearly 45 lesser-known nation-builders to preserve India’s intellectual, cultural and constitutional heritage for future generations. Several BJP leaders, including MPS, ministers, legislators and office-bearers, attended the commemorative events held across the Capital.
