BJP: Nehru refused to probe Jana Sangh founder’s death

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, June 23

The BJP today hit out at the Congress and the Trinamool Congress on the death anniversary of Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which it observes as the “Balidaan Divas”.

Party’s newly anointed working president JP Nadda accused former PM Jawaharlal Nehru of turning down the demand for an independent probe into his “sudden, mysterious” death in Srinagar on June 23, 1953.

Party president and Home Minister Amit Shah reminded the people if “we can go without permit to Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal is an integral part of India, it is because of the sacrifices by Mukherjee”.

In a series of tweets, Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy said, “Mukherjee was snared in J&K under a conspiracy to take him out of the jurisdiction of India’s Supreme Court. His treatment after heart attack smacked of criminal negligence, of none other than Sheikh Abdullah.”

Top leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, also paid tribute to Mukherjee. 

“Mukherjee established Jana Sangh with the aim of rebuilding India. Today, if we can go without permit to Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal is an integral part of India, it is because of the sacrifices made by Dr Mukherjee,” Shah said

Mukherjee and Praja Parishad leader Prem Nath Dogra launched “Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan, Ek Nishan” movement in early 1950s against the granting of the special status to J&K. Mukherjee was arrested by the police while entering the state on May 11, 1953. He died in detention at a prison in Srinagar.

According to Nadda, “the entire country demanded an inquiry into his death, but Nehru did not do so. History is witness to that”.