Tripura CM bats for nationalism on Jana Sangh founder’s birth anniversary

Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb asserted that PM Narendra Modi has proved himself to be a living example of the Jana Sangh founder’s ideologies by practising “strong nationalism”.

Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Friday batted for the nationalist form of governance, asserting that it was only through such an approach that countries like Japan and Israel managed to become global powers.

Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb said he is glad that ‘feelings of nationalism’ are finally taking root in the state. (Sushil Kumar/HT Photo)

“Japan recovered from the nuclear attack during WW-II due to its strong nationalist ideology. Similarly, Israel has become one of the most powerful nations in the world — despite having no natural resources — due to strong nationalism,” Deb said at an event to mark the 118th birth anniversary of Jana Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee in Agartala on Friday evening.

The CM asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proved himself to be a living example of the Jana Sangh founder’s ideologies by practising “strong nationalism”. He went on to say that although Tripura had been enslaved by a foreign mindset for a long time, it was finally seeing nationalist thoughts take root on its soil.

Speaking on the former Jana Sangh founder, Deb said Mookerjee was against Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s plan to create a ‘Greater Pakistan’ comprising West Bengal, Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan), Pakistan and Punjab. “An institution in himself, Mookerjee quit the Union cabinet in protest against former PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s approach to Kashmir,” the chief minister said.