PM Narendra Modi pays tribute to Syama Prasad Mukherjee on his birth anniversary

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (July 6) paid tribute to Bharatiya Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary, adding that his lofty ideals motivate millions across our nation.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, PM Modi called him a remarkable scholar and intellectual.

"I bow to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his Jayanti. His lofty ideals motivate millions across our nation. Dr. Mookerjee devoted his life towards India’s unity and progress. He also distinguished himself as a remarkable scholar and intellectual," the PM tweeted.

Syama Prasad Mookerjee was born on July 6, 1901, in Calcutta. He was the Minister for Industry and Supply in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet but he later resigned from the Nehru cabinet. With the help of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor to the Bharatiya Janata Party, in 1951.

He was also the president of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha from 1943 to 1946. Since the Bharatiya Janata Party is the successor to the Bhartiya Jana Sangh, Mookerjee is also regarded as the founder of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He breathed his last on June 23, 1953.