Agartala: Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Debon Friday claimed that a " somaj byabostha" (social system) with a "foreign mindset" had existed for a long time in the state.

Speaking at an event to celebrate the birth anniversary of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee here, Deb, in an oblique reference to 25 years of Left Front rule, said, "Tripura is an ensemble of different cultures, languages and backgrounds. A social system of foreign mindset was existing here for long."

Recounting the life of Mookerjee, Deb said the "statesman" had opposed Muhammad Ali Jinnah's idea of creating a "Greater Pakistan" including Bengal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Punjab. He said Mookerjee resigned from the Union cabinet, opposing the Jawaharlal Nehru government's decision on Kashmir. These are identifying features of nationalism, Deb said.

"Nationalist thought has been established in Tripura after a very long time. We are confident that a government can't become the best unless it has a nationalist approach," Deb said.

He referred to the nuclear holocaust in Japan during World War II and said the country recovered from the disaster owing to "strong nationalist thought".

"Israel is such a small country that it can't even be found on the world map. There were so many efforts to destroy that country. It is one of the most powerful countries in the world despite having nearly no natural resource or huge geographical area. It has become a strong nation due to prakhar rashtravad (strong nationalism)," he said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a strong nationalist. He is the living example of Mookerjee's lessons," Deb said, adding that Modi gifts a Gita to statesmen of different countries during his visits.