Kolkata, Jun 20 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the BJP and Governor C V Ananda Bose of using the state’s ‘Foundation Day’ for political gains and promoting a narrative favoured by the saffron camp.
Her comment comes a day after a strongly worded letter to Bose expressing her reservations to observing the ‘Foundation Day’.
“I was born in this Bengal, just like others. We have spent our entire life in this state, but never heard about any ‘State Foundation Day’. Nothing of this sort has ever been celebrated in our history, nor has any act passed by the assembly,” she told reporters at ‘Nabanna’.
Bose, who organised the state’s ‘Foundation Day’ programme at the Raj Bhavan despite objections by Banerjee, said the Bengal government’s concern would be “treated with all seriousness”.
Banerjee said the BJP should be aware that other parties will not abide by the saffron camp’s decision on when to celebrate the ‘Foundation Day’.
“The BJP is mistaken if they believe that whatever they decide to celebrate, the other parties must agree. I have already written to the Governor regarding this. I believe one should not play politics with the chair of the Governor of Bengal. They are trying to push a narrative for political reasons,” she alleged.
In a letter to Bose on Monday, Banerjee had expressed “shock” at his “unilateral” decision to commemorate the ‘Foundation Day’.
Banerjee pointed out that the pain and trauma of partition was such that people in the state have never commemorated any day as ‘Foundation Day’ since India’s Independence.
In a statement, Bose assured that Banerjee’s objection “will receive priority attention and be taken up with competent authorities for appropriate action”.
He clarified that the event was organised as per an advisory by the Centre that proposed celebrating foundation days of all states and Union Territories by all Raj Bhavans.
“The advisory for commemoration of the Foundation Day of States was communicated by the government of India on May 11. It proposed observing foundation days of various states and Union Territories by all Raj Bhavans. Till now, as per the advisory, Raj Bhavan has already observed five foundation days, and the celebration of West Bengal’s Foundation Day was in the sequence suggested in the advisory,” the statement said.
Bose said while preparations for the commemoration were underway, “a communication was received from the state government on June 9, 2023 late evening indicating reservations about (the) observation of West Bengal’s Foundation Day, with the request not to hold the function on June 20, 2023.” “I am stunned and shocked to know that you have decided to organise a programme on 20.06.2023 at Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, commemorating what you have peculiarly chosen to describe as the ‘State Foundation of West Bengal’,” Banerjee said in the letter.
“Since Independence, we in West Bengal have never rejoiced over, or commemorated, or celebrated, any day as the Foundation Day of West Bengal. Rather, we have seen the Partition as a result of unleashing of communal forces that could not be resisted at that point of time,” she said.
Meanwhile, the BJP legislative party led by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari took out a rally from the assembly to Red Road commemorating the state’s foundation day.
“What is wrong in observing the state’s foundation day? Does the state government want us and future generations to forget history? The Trinamool government behaves as if West Bengal is not a state but an independent country,” he said.
On June 20, 1947, two meetings of separate sets of legislators in the Bengal Assembly were held. One of those who wanted West Bengal as part of India, voted in favour of the resolution by a majority. The other was of legislators of areas which eventually became East Pakistan.
For the district of Sylhet which was part of Assam, it was decided to conduct a referendum.
Nearly 2.5 million people were displaced from both sides and properties worth crores of rupees were burnt down in post-partition rioting. While Governor Bose organised the state’s ‘Foundation Day’ programme at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, his Bihar counterpart Rajendra Arlekar took part in a function in Patna where he said people of various states were like brothers and sisters as they had “the same mother – Bharat Mata”.
Arlekar paid rich tributes to the contributions of Bengal in the country’s freedom struggle and social and cultural reforms, and recalled the famous saying “what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow”.
In Ranchi, Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan termed West Bengal as the cradle of art and tradition.
Meghalaya Governor Phagu Chauhan emphasised the historical significance of Bengal and its journey as a torchbearer of renaissance, socio-cultural awakening, and nationalistic development, despite enduring oppressive conditions during British rule.
Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt Gen K T Parnaik urged the state’s people to celebrate the vibrant, bold and multicultural spirit of West Bengal, which has been the harbinger of modernisation in fine arts, textiles and traditional cuisines.
Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria said the Bengal region stood against its purported assimilation into East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), during India’s Independence.
“Amidst the tumultuous era of India’s independence, when our great nation faced the agonizing division, the steadfast region of Bengal stood against its purported assimilation into East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh,” he said in Guwahati. PTI PNT SCH DC NAC NAM JOP TR MNB RBT
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