Tripura’s ruling BJP government announced Sunday that it will rename the Town Hall in Agartala after Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and erect a marble statue of the Jana Sangh founder in front of the building. Soon after Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha made the announcement on the occasion of Mookerjee’s 125th birth anniversary, the CPI(M) opposed the move.

Speaking at Muktadhara auditorium in Agartala, Saha said that people who have made special contributions in their fields would be honoured on Teachers’ Day in Mookerjee’s name, and plans are afoot to introduce an excellence award as well starting next year for those who have made outstanding contributions in social, political, national and administrative services.

Taking to X, the chief minister posted: “Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee was a towering figure in safeguarding India’s sovereignty after independence. With remarkable abilities, prestige, and intellect, he dedicated his life to nation-building, refusing to lead a self-centered existence.”

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He also recalled Mookerjee’s multifaceted roles as “India’s first Industry Minister, Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University, Mayor of Calcutta, President of Hindu Mahasabha, and founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh” and said that his ideologies remain relevant today and continue to inspire citizens.

Saha added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working as per Mookerjee’s vision and aims to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. “After PM Modi took charge in 2014, we have seen changes in the whole society… If our country walks in the path of development, it might cause problems for many and that is why those things (Mookerjee’s role) were not allowed to be known. Now people can understand what is true and what is false,” he said.

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He added that Mookerjee’s opposition to the Nehru-Liaquat Agreement – a pact signed in 1950 between the governments of India and Pakistan over minority rights and security –led to his resignation from Nehru’s Cabinet.

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“Visionary Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee’s sacrifice for India’s sovereignty & integrity remains a source of inspiration for every citizen of the country. He refused to compromise with injustice, by opposing to the Nehru-Liaqat Agreement, which led to his resignation from the cabinet,” he wrote on X.

The chief minister also took part in a programme organised at the BJP state headquarters to offer tributes to Mookerjee and later joined a door-to-door campaign in Agartala Municipal Corporation highlighting the success of the PM Modi-led central government.

‘Disrespect to Agartala and Mookerjee,’ says Opposition

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Meanwhile, Opposition leader and CPI(M) politburo member Jitendra Chaudhury came out in protest against renaming the Agartala Town Hall and said that doing so four years after it was inaugurated by former president R Venkatraman – instead of building a new structure – was tantamount to disrespecting the legacy of the city as well as that of Mookerjee.

“I am sure the people of this city would not accept it. I urge the government to reconsider this decision… I am not against dedicating a building, hospital, or school after Dr Mookerjee. You (the BJP) are in power. The central government has funds, even if the state does not. More infrastructure is needed to accommodate events, political conferences etc,” Chaudhury said.

The Agartala Town Hall was built by the former Left-front government after demolishing the Lal Mahal which was a part of the erstwhile royal palace compound which also housed the Ujjayanta Palace and the Laxmi Narayan Bari Temple.