Union minister Nadda unveils book on Asutosh Mookerjee’s speeches
Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Tuesday unveiled “The Collected Speeches of Bengal Tiger Asutosh Mookerjee.” The book is published by the Delhi Legislative Assembly, compiling 32 legislative speeches of educationist and jurist Dr Ashutosh Mookerjee. The book is unveiled at a function marking his 162nd birth anniversary at the Assembly House.
Nadda compared the speeches to a daily source of intellectual renewal for public life. “Just as a mobile phone must be recharged every day, public life too requires constant intellectual renewal. Dr Ashutosh Mookerjee’s speeches continue to recharge our minds with constitutional values, reasoned debate and a deep sense of nationalism,” he said.
The event was attended by Union Minister Harsh Malhotra, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta, ministers Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, and Dr Pankaj Kumar Singh, and Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht, along with MPs, MLAs, and academicians. A documentary on the Assembly narrated by Anupam Kher was also screened.
Speaker Vijender Gupta called Mookerjee the “Tiger of Bengal,” noting that he defended educational institutions’ autonomy under colonial rule, backed scholars including CV Raman and Meghnad Saha, and supported students such as Subhas Chandra Bose. He cited Mookerjee’s tenure as Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University, Calcutta High Court judge, and member of the Bengal and Imperial Legislative Councils.
The Chief Minister said great personalities must continue inspiring new generations rather than remain confined to history, linking Mookerjee’s educational philosophy to the National Education Policy’s focus on Indian languages.
Education Minister Sood said Mookerjee demonstrated that education is the strongest foundation of nation-building. Deputy Speaker Bisht said legislators must preserve the ideas that shaped India’s democratic evolution, calling the publication an important step in that direction.
