West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday, 6 July announced that a dedicated chapter on the life and contributions of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee will be incorporated into the state's school syllabus, marking the leader's 125th birth anniversary. The announcement was made at a function held at the Mitra Institution in Kolkata.

What the Chief Minister Said

Addressing the anniversary function, Adhikari stated that Mukherjee's contributions deserve a formal place in school education. 'The school syllabus should definitely have a mention about the contribution of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. I have requested the state School Education Minister, the state Higher Education Minister, and the secretaries of the department in this matter,' he said.

Adhikari clarified that the proposal will be placed before a Syllabus Committee to be constituted in the coming days, which will have the final say on what is included or excluded. The announcement is a proposal at this stage, not a finalised policy change.

First-Ever Anniversary Celebration at Nabanna

For the first time, Mukherjee's birth anniversary was observed at Nabanna, the West Bengal state secretariat, on Monday. Despite the day being a public holiday, a group of state government employees gathered at the secretariat to pay floral tributes to the statue of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder — a symbolic gesture signalling the current government's alignment with his legacy.

125-Foot Statue at New Town Eco Park

Among the state government's several initiatives to mark the 125th birth anniversary, a foundation stone was laid and a plaque unveiled for a 125-foot statue of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee at an Eco Park in New Town, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata. Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone after arriving in Kolkata on Monday afternoon, proceeding directly to the Eco Park from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya were also present at the event.

Who Was Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was a prominent Bengali politician and educationist who founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951 — the ideological predecessor of the modern BJP. Born on 6 July 1901 in Kolkata, he served as a minister in independent India's first cabinet before resigning over policy differences. He died in detention in 1953 while protesting permit requirements for entry into Jammu & Kashmir, a cause that remains politically significant for the BJP to this day.

What Comes Next

The proposed syllabus change will depend on the recommendations of the Syllabus Committee, whose formation is expected in the coming days. If adopted, the chapter would mark one of the more significant curriculum interventions under the current West Bengal government, bringing the state's school education into closer alignment with the BJP's ideological heritage.