Syama Prasad Mookerjee: Life and Times

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Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and controversial leaders in India’s recent history. In spite of his significant political and ideological differences with Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr Mookerjee was inducted to the first cabinet of independent India. However, following the Delhi Pact between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan, Dr Mookerjee resigned from the cabinet. His role during the Great Bengal Famine of 1943 and the Great Calcutta Killings and Noakhali Carnage of 1946 was historic. His premature death in custody–in Kashmir–is one of the unsolved mysteries of India’s political history.

Dr Mookerjee was an educationist, politician and patriot who often opposed the official narratives of his time but fought consistently for India’s independence and pre-eminent position in the world. His life has remained largely unexplored till now. This biography aims to rectify that omission and examines Dr Mookerjee’s life in detail and sheds light on the turbulent and contentious events of his times.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tathagata Roy

Tathagata Roy (56) pursues the study of the Contemporary History and Politics of Bengal with a passion rarely equalled. This book is distillate of that study, but is rather a result of quiet, painstaking scholarship than passion. Professionally he describes himself as "Of all things, a Civil Engineer". That, however, is only one aspect of the person, the subject for which he initially trained, following which he worked for the Indian Railways for long time. He now teaches at the Salt Lake Campus of Jadavpur University, Kolkata (Calcutta). He is also into Politics and is active in the Bharatiya Janata Party's West Bengal Unit. He is married, with two daughters, and has lived most of his life in Kolkata.