Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 7: In the never-ending battle between the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal and BJP government at the Centre through the governor CV Ananda Bose, the state Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution declaring ‘Poila Baishak’, the first day of Bengali New Year calendar, as “Bangla Dibas,” the West Bengal Foundation Day.
The resolution has its genesis in the Central government decision earlier this year to celebrate June 20 as the “West Bengal Foundation Day.” The Centre had held that a resolution was passed in the Bengal Legislative Assembly on June 20, 1947, leading to West Bengal remaining with India to celebrate the day as the “foundation” of the state.
But the Mamata Banerjee government instead preferred the first day of the Bengali New Year, which usually falls on April 14 or 15 to be celebrated as the state’s foundation day since there was no other specific day which could be termed as such.
Ms Banerjee on June 19 had written to the Governor urging him not to hold any event at the Raj Bhavan on June 20 to commemorate the foundation day of West Bengal. Ms Banerjee, in her communication, said the State was not founded on any particular day, least of all on any 20th of June. “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 Day of West Bengal’,” the Chief Minister wrote.
Always being at loggerheads with the TMC ever since his appointment as the governor, Bose, nevertheless, went ahead with his plans to observe the State Foundation Day on June 20. A march was organised by the cadets of the National Cadets Corps (NCC) followed by a cultural programme at Raj Bhavan. The Governor also made a speech on the occasion. The Kolkata Raj Bhavan also circulated President Droupadi Murmu’s greeting to the people of Bengal on the West Bengal Foundation Day.
The governor of another non-BJP state had also celebrated the “West Bengal Foundation Day” on June 20. The Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi, who is also is in constant strife with the local DMK government, had celebrated the “West Bengal Foundation Day” at the Chennai Raj-Bhavan on June 20.
Members of the Bengali community in Chennai, including those from the Bengal Association and South Madras Cultural Association had attended the event. Ravi had also felicitated eminent individuals from the community and those who performed in cultural events during the ceremony.
Ravi had deemed it appropriate to celebrate West Bengal’s Foundation Day in Tamil Nadu as both the States had shaped the idea and identity of India. Tamil Nadu, with its language, cultural, spiritual and philosophical heritage, had largely maintained “the purity of the very idea of Bharath,” he said. Bengal, on the other hand, had not only preserved, but illuminated the idea of “Ek Bharath, Shreshta Bharath” for many centuries despite the turbulence it faced.
The West Bengal BJP leaders strongly criticised the Assembly resolution to celebrate the state foundation day on “Poila Baishak” and said just because the TMC hold the power in the state, it should not try to change the history of the state and should honour the centre’s decision to celebrate June 20 as the foundation day.
