Lucknow, July 6 -- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday paid tribute to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his 125th birth anniversary and said he played a pivotal role in saving West Bengal from the "bloody clutches of Pakistan".

The Chief Minister also hailed Mookerjee's contribution to national unity and described him as a great son of "Bharat Mata" and a "stalwart freedom fighter".

Addressing a programme in Lucknow after paying floral tribute to Dr Mookerjee's portrait, Adityanath hailed his contribution to the nation and said his legacy continues to inspire.

"The very Bengal that Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee played a pivotal role in saving from the bloody clutches of Pakistan is today governed...