India, July 6 -- LUCKNOW/PRAYAGRAJ Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday paid tribute to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his 125th birth anniversary, saying he played a pivotal role in saving West Bengal from the "bloody clutches of Pakistan". He hailed Mookerjee's contribution to national unity and described him as a great son of "Bharat Mata" and a "stalwart freedom fighter".

"The very Bengal that Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee played a pivotal role in saving from the bloody clutches of Pakistan is today governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, a party that holds him as its guiding light. The 'double-engine' government in Bengal is currently working effectively to restore all sites associated with him," said Adit...