Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday paid tributes to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s death anniversary, which the party observes as the day of sacrifice. Shah claimed that people from other states can travel to Jammu and Kashmir without permit, and West Bengal became part of India because of the Hindutva leader’s sacrifices.

Shah, who visited the Bharatiya Janata Party’s headquarters in New Delhi to pay tributes to Mookerjee, claimed that the Jana Sangh leader’s agitation for Jammu and Kashmir’s complete integration with the country was independent India’s first nationalist movement, PTI reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted, praising Mookerjee’s contributions to nation building. “A devout patriot and proud nationalist, Dr Mookerjee devoted his life for India’s unity and integrity,” he said. “His passion for a strong and united India continues to inspire us and gives us strength to serve 130 crore Indians.”

The event was attended by the saffron party’s Working President JP Nadda, who also credited Mookerjee for ensuring the travel permit system was not extended to Jammu and Kashmir. He accused former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru of rejecting the demand for an independent inquiry into Mookerjee’s death in police custody in 1953.

Mookerjee had been detained in Srinagar for not possessing a permit to enter the state. The government at the time said he had died of a heart attack. However, the Jana Sangh had sought an inquiry.

“The whole country demanded an inquiry into the mysterious death of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee but history is witness that Pandit Nehru did not order any inquiry,” he claimed. “Dr Mookerjee’s sacrifice will never go in vain, BJP is committed to this cause.”

Karnataka BJP President BS Yeddyurappa also alleged that the Congress deliberately did not investigate the Jana Sangh leader’s “mysterious” death, PTI reported. “He [Mookerjee] died under mysterious circumstances,” Yeddyurappa said at an event in Bengaluru. “The Congress government under Jawaharlal Nehru did not do any investigation. Nehru did not respond to the letter by Mookerjee’s mother to probe her son’s death.”