Bengaluru: June 23 marks the ‘balidan divas’ of the founder of Jana Sangh Syama Prasad Mookerjee. It was on this day in the year 1953 that he passed away mysteriously in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
 
The state unit of the Karnataka BJP, headed by BS Yeddyurappa, observed the day at its office in Bengaluru. The state president offered flowers to the portrait as a mark of respect.
 
Taking the occasion as an opportunity to criticise the Congress, he said, “The Congress party has meted out great injustice to Syama Prasad Mookerjee, akin to Ambedkar. In spite of Syama Prasad’s mysterious death, the Congress refused to hold a probe into it.”
 
The state president also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, the national president of BJP for planning to scrap Article 370.
 
“The PM and the BJP national president have planned to invalid Article 370. This is a laudable step. Soon, this move will be realised,” he added.
 
Expressing his happiness over Modi becoming the Prime Minister for the second time, the BJP state president said, “Narendra Modi has become the Prime Minister for the second consecutive time. It is due to the efforts of Syama Prasad that that BJP has become such a big an important party in the country. The credit should go to him,” he added.
 
Another prominent Dalit BJP leader Govind Karjol ripped the Congress saying the present members of the Congress have done nothing for the nation.
 
“The Congress says not even a dog from the BJP has laid down its life for the cause of the nation. How many of the present members of the existing Congress have laid down their lives for the country?” he thundered.
 
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the nation in paying homage to the leader.