Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid rich tributes to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his Jayanti.

“He is widely respected for his contribution to India’s development particularly in sectors such as commerce and industry. He was also known for his scholarly nature and intellectual prowess,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

Syama Prasad Mukherjee, born on July 6, 1901, was a politician, barrister and academician. He served as the Minister for Industry and Supply in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet.

However, he developed serious differences with Nehru over the Liaquat-Nehru Pact and resigned from the cabinet

With the help of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he then founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor to the Bharatiya Janata Party, in 1951. He was also the president of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha from 1943 to 1946.

Mukherjee died in the custody of Jammu and Kashmir Police in 1953. He was provisionally diagnosed as having suffered from a heart attack and shifted to a hospital but died a day later on June 23. Since the Bharatiya Janata Party is the successor to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Mukherjee is also regarded as the founder of the Bharatiya Janata Party.