By Bhavanishankar July 06, 2008.

Here is a brief story on the visit of late Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee to Bangalore in the first week of June 1953, two weeks before his mysterious death in Srinagar Central Prison, in Kashmir. This was told exclusively to Organiser by Shri Ramachandra Gowda, the medical education minister of Karnataka and a senior BJP leader.

"A week is a long time in politics", said British Prime Minister Harold Wilson. If a week is a long time, then 2,640 weeks are like an eternity. That is the distance in time we have travelled ever since we lost Dr Mookerjee. The need for such a person and personality is being felt more than ever before. Alas, there is no such thing as 'rewind' in human's life, to bring him back.

The first and the last time I saw Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee was in Bangalore in the first week of June, 1953. I was just 15 years old, yet had come in contact with the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, thanks to the RSS.
Dr Mookerjee addressed a public meeting at Bannappa Park, adjacent to the K.R.Road. A large number of people had gathered as words had spread that a leader-who had dared to oppose Nehru and quit the minister's post - would speak mostly on Kashmir, Bangladesh and cow slaughter issues.

I was fortunate to stand very close to the dais with a Jana Sangh cap on my head and a flag in my hand. Dr Mookerjee was tall, his face was radiating conviction and confidence. Though his speech was fiery, it was full of hard facts. He sounded logical and convincing. His personality inspired awe and respect.

He explained the danger to the country's unity, integrity and security due to the lack of vision, vote bank politics and needless soft attitude towards militants of the Congress-government headed by Pt Nehru. "If such a attitude continues - and I fear that it would continue because of the appeasement politics of Congress - it would be difficult to hold on to Kashmir in future," Dr Mookerjee had thundered.

This leader with a long range vision has been proved prophetic as the successive governments at the Centre led by pseudo-secular parties starting from Congress and its creed, have messed up the Kashmir issue.
That this sensitive border state continues to remain a trouble spot for the country is a testimony for the failure of the so-called statesmanship of Pandit Nehru who took 'keen interest' in resolving the Kashmir issue. Look at Sardar Patel. He ensured - by love, affection and firmness - the integration of 542 princely states into Indian Union.