STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Wednesday paid a tribute to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on the occasion of his 125th birth anniversary, describing him as a versatile intellectual, youth icon, and a visionary whose political sacrifices changed the course of Indian history.
Addressing a commemorative gathering, Dr. Jitendra said that while Dr. Mookerjee is most remembered for his historic role in the movement for the complete integration of Jammu & Kashmir, this often overshadows his remarkable academic and intellectual achievements.
“He was not just a political activist but one of the most brilliant scholars of the 20th century,” the Minister noted. A first-rank graduate in English Honours, Dr. Mookerjee pursued post-graduation in Bengali literature, earned a PhD in Statistics, and became the youngest Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University at the age of 33-at a time when the institution was dominated by British academics, he said.
Dr. Jitendra, who represents the parliamentary constituency that includes Kathua-the site where Dr. Mookerjee was arrested in 1953 for entering J&K without a permit-linked the leader’s sacrifice to the eventual abrogation of Article 370.
“It took three generations to fulfill his dream, and it was under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that this mission was finally realized,” he said.
Recalling the circumstances of Dr. Mookerjee’s arrest and subsequent death in custody, Dr. Singh called it “discriminatory and unfortunate,” lamenting that he was denied legal recourse as the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction did not extend to J&K at that time.
The Minister also highlighted Dr. Mookerjee’s personal integrity, recalling how he resigned from both the Vice-Chancellorship and the Nehru Cabinet on matters of principle. “He believed that if his ideology didn’t align with the Cabinet’s, he had no right to continue as a minister,” Dr. Jitendra Singh said, contrasting that era’s political ethics with today’s.
In a personal reflection, Dr. Jitendra Singh shared that Dr. Mookerjee was the first Vice President of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-a position Dr. Jitendra Singh now holds. “One of my first decisions as Vice President was to acknowledge Dr. Mookerjee’s foundational role by placing his name at the top of the CSIR succession board,” he added.
Concluding his address, Dr. Jitendra Singh quoted Dr. Mookerjee’s words: “No one can be a leader unless he is first a good worker,” and “Never leave any responsibility half-done.” The Minister said he has tried to imbibe these values in his own public life.