Lucknow, July 7 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath hailed Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee as a visionary scholar, passionate patriot and fearless voice of national unity on the occasion of his birth anniversary on Sunday. Adityanath paid floral tributes at Dr Mukherjee's statue at Civil Hospital. Born on July 6, 1901, Mukherjee became the youngest vice chancellor of Calcutta University at just 33, and dedicated his life to serving the country. The chief minister emphasised that Dr Mukherjee's commitment to national unity and integrity remains unparalleled. "His leadership during the Bengal famine earned him widespread respect and, as the food and industry minister in independent India under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, he laid the foundation for food self-sufficiency and industrial growth-pillars that continue to shape New India," the chief minister said. However, Dr Mukherjee resigned from the Nehru cabinet in protest against its appeasement-driven policies. He strongly opposed the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and the permit system, emerging as the first prominent voice of dissent, the chief minister said. As the founding president of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, he laid the ideological foundation for nationalist politics and gave the stirring call-"Ek desh mein do pradhan, do vidhan, do nishan nahi chalenge" (There cannot be two Prime Ministers, two Constitutions, and two flags in one nation), the chief minister added. Adityanath emphasised that Dr Mukherjee's vision was fulfilled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who abrogated Article 370-ensuring complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India, in the true spirit of "Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan, Aur Ek Nishan." He added that the region is now witnessing rapid development and progress, reflecting the realisation of Dr Mukherjee's dream of a united and empowered Bharat. He added that under PM Modi's leadership, India has emerged as a global investment hub. The industrialisation that Dr Mukherjee once envisioned has now taken a massive form, he said. Even during the global pandemic, India stood strong, providing free ration to 80 crore people-an initiative aligned with the ideals of welfare and self-reliance that Dr Mukherjee stood for, Adityanath said. Prominent among those present on the occasion included Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Sharma, mayor Sushma Kharkwal, BJP leader Neeraj Singh and several others....