2018-07-06 Fri

Syama Prasad Mukherjee was a politician, barrister and a Minister of Industry and Supply in Nehru’s cabinet. Later after falling out the Indian National Congress, he started a new ‘Bharitya Jana Sangha’ which later came to be known as the ‘Bharatiya Janata Party’ (BJP).

He was born on 6th July 1901 in Kolkata into a Bengali Hindu family. His father Ashutosh Mukherjee was a well known and highly respected advocate, who later went on to become the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta.

Mukherjee started his political career in 1929 when he entered the Bengal Legislative Council as a Congress candidate representing Calcutta University. Mukherjee was elected as a member of the Legislative Council of Bengal, but he later resigned from his post when the Congress decided to boycott the legislature. Following this, he contested in the elections as an independent candidate and won.

He also served as the Finance Minister of Bengal Province in 1941-42. To honor this great leader India post has issued 25 Paisa commemorative postage stamp.

Image Source: Mintage World