Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, BJP Senior Leader LK Advani and Sumitra Mahajan during the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Birth Anniversary function at the Parliament in New Delhi. (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey/File)Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, the MP from Cuttack, on Wednesday said the Central government should conduct an impartial investigation into the “mysterious death” of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of BJP’s political predecessor Jana Sangh, as no such probe has been done till date.
Pointing out that the West Bengal Assembly had passed a resolution to probe the death — Mookerjee had died while being incarcerated in Jammu and Kashmir — Mahtab said in Lok Sabha: “Till date, no such investigation has been conducted. But the resolution of the West Bengal Assembly is still there. It was sent to the Union government, especially to the then Home Ministry, to conduct an investigation to find out what was the cause of death.”
Mahtab recalled that Mookerjee, who was the first Industry minister of independent India, had visited Cuttack, his constituency. “He was very popular not only in Bengal but also in eastern India and across the country. Later on, no doubt, he became founder of Jana Sangh. He was fighting against the mistake that was being committed by interpolation of Article 370 and later Article 35A,” the BJD leader said.
Issues related to West Bengal rocked the Lok Sabha on Wednesday as well. A day after she brought up the issue of cut money being charged from people to get benefits of government schemes in the state, and accused members of the ruling TMC of being involved in this extortion, BJP member from Bengal Locket Chatterjee on Wednesday accused the TMC of “killing people for chanting Jai Shri Ram”.
Trinamool MPs immediately stood up in protest.
Speaking in Bengali, Chatterjee said Lord Ram signifies noble thoughts and honesty, and West Bengal should be run by people who believe in these. “Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s Bengal is burning. Whoever is chanting Jai Shri Ram, TMC goons are killing them,” she said, as TMC members tried to shout her down. The proceedings of the Lower House were adjourned abruptly.
