With the change of power in the politics of West Bengal, the battle of symbols and dates has also intensified. The new Chief Minister of the state, Subhendu Adhikari has made a big announcement as soon as he assumed office. He said on Saturday that his government will give official approval for the celebration of ‘West Bengal Day’ on the date of June 20. Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had chosen ‘Poila Baisakh’ i.e. Bengali New Year for this, which now the Shubhendu government is going to change.
Why is 20th June special?
Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari, while talking to journalists, explained the historical significance of this date. He said, ‘June 20, 1947 was the historic day when the decision was taken to join Bengal in India. I will soon present a proposal to make it official in the Cabinet and Assembly.
In fact, on June 20, 1947, a meeting of MLAs of the Bengal Assembly was held. In this, the MLAs of West Bengal voted to stay with India and in favor of partition. The officer believes that because of this decision today we are a part of a free and democratic country.
Tribute paid to Dr. Mukherjee
After taking oath, the Chief Minister directly reached the residence of Jan Sangh founder Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in Bhawanipur. There he recalled the contributions of Mukherjee and Bharat Sevashram Sangh founder Swami Pranavananda. He said that it was only due to the efforts of these great men that West Bengal survived.
Old controversy and Raj Bhavan’s stance
This controversy is not new. In the year 2023, on the instructions of the Central Government, the then Governor CV Anand Bose celebrated Bengal Day on June 20 at the Raj Bhavan. Mamata Banerjee had strongly opposed it then. He had argued that June 20 was a reminder of the violence and bloodshed of Partition. Then a resolution was passed in the Assembly and ‘Poila Baisakh’ was declared as the State Day. Now Shubhendu government has reversed that decision and drawn a new line.
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