Kolkata: Despite objections raised by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Tuesday had organized ‘State Foundation’ Day.
In a letter sent by Mamata to the Governor on Monday late evening, the Chief Minister expressing her ‘shock’ said that ‘Bengal was not founded on any particular day, least of all on any 20 th of June’.
On Tuesday in a press statement Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she have never heard of state’s ‘Foundation Day’
“All those political parties that are celebrating this so-called ‘State Foundation Day’, they are doing so with a set political narrative and agenda. I have written a strongly-worded letter to the Hon’ble Governor yesterday objecting to this new practice. I have been born in this Bengal, just like all others. We have spent our entire life in this Bengal, but never heard about any ‘State Foundation Day’. Nothing of this sort has ever been celebrated in our history, nor has any Act ever been passed by the Cabinet. I condemn this practice, which is being done with the sole purpose of defaming Bengal,” said the statement quoting the Chief Minister.
On the other hand, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari took out a rally to commemorate the day and had also garlanded the statue of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
Taking potshots at the saffron camp, the statement issued by Trinamool Congress (TMC), once again quoting the Chief Minister, stated, “If BJP believes that whatever they decide to celebrate, the other parties have to agree to it, they are mistaken.”
Meanwhile, earlier this day while commemorating the day, the Governor spoke of ‘zero tolerance’ towards violence.
Later, issuing a press statement Raj Bhavan also mentioned, “In view of some apparent disinformation doing the rounds, the factual position about commemoration of Foundation Day of West Bengal on 20 June, 2023 needs clarification: The advisory for the commemoration of Foundation Day of States was communicated by the Government of India on 11.05.2023. The advisory proposed observing the Foundation Days of various States and Union Territories by all Raj Bhavans. Till now, as per the Government of India advisory, Raj Bhavan has already observed five State Foundation Days, and celebration of West Bengal’s Foundation Day was in the sequence suggested in the Advisory.”
