Syama Prasad Mookerjee is one of the most remarkable public figures who adorned the Indian political scene in the crucial pre-independence and post-independence decades of Indian history. He was a fearless patriot for whom his country always came first. His elegant personality and brilliant intellect were all the more admirable for his lofty idealism, impeccable character and simple lifestyle. Beginning as an educationist at the young age of 23, he rose to be the youngest Vice-Chancellor of the Calcutta University. Entering politics a few years later, he made his mark as a dynamic and far-sighted political leader when he outwitted the British and the Muslim League by uniting the nationalist forces in Bengal to oust the League Ministry and install the Haq-led Coalition Ministry, in which he became the Finance Minister.

Making his debut on the all-India stage soon thereafter as President of the All-India Hindu Mahasabha, which he had joined on account of the magnetic influence of Veer Savarkar's pure nationalism, patriotism and realism, he became the most effective spokesman of nationalist opinion on the critical question of the unity of the country, which was being threatened by the Muslim League with the direct encouragement from the British Government. Even though he was a member of the Government, Syama Prasad took up the cudgels against the British Government on behalf of nationalist India in 1942, when all the Congress leaders were in jail following the Quit India Movement. Having failed to persuade the Viceroy to release the leaders, he decided to quit the Bengal Cabinet and lead the nationalist forces against the British, unshackled by the strings of office. When the Congress party virtually gave away the whole of Punjab and Bengal to the League on a platter by deciding not to coerce any unwilling part to remain in India, Dr Mookerjee successfully campaigned for the partition of the would-be Pakistan and saved half of Punjab and half of Bengal for India.

It was in recognition of these services that he was included in the first Central Cabinet of independent India in August 1947. He accepted the invitation in the hope of influencing the policies of free India in its formative period and safeguarding the interests of crores of Hindus who had been left behind in Pakistan much against their will.