The celebration of West Bengal Foundation Day at Raj Bhavan has become a topic of controversy. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had requested the Governor, C.V. Ananda Bose, not to celebrate it, but her plea was turned down. Despite the Chief Minister’s request, various colourful events were held to mark the occasion on June 20, with the Governor himself supervising the parade by cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC). The event also included a peace run and a sit and draw competition.
Late on Monday evening, Chief Minister Banerjee had sent a communique to the Governor requesting him not to celebrate the foundation day of West Bengal at the Governor’s House. Banerjee pointed out that since its inception, the people had never celebrated or commemorated any day as the foundation day of West Bengal. She also described the decision to commemorate the day on June 20 as unconstitutional and unilateral, further claiming that the move distorts the heritage of West Bengal.
According to the governor, the West Bengal Foundation Day is celebrated at Raj Bhavan following instruction from Indian President Droupadi Murmu. Meanwhile, political parties have already begun a war of words. The BJP’s national vice-president, Dilip Ghosh, said that the objections to celebrating the foundation day of a state were irrational, as every Indian state has a foundation day. He further accused the Chief Minister of attempting to distort history.
However, the Trinamool Congress state spokesman in West Bengal, Kunal Ghosh, condemned the Governor’s celebration, stating that it was an attempt to satisfy a specific political agenda. This is a clear attempt to distort the history of West Bengal. This is against the heritage of West Bengal, and hence, we strongly oppose this move, he said.
The celebration of West Bengal Foundation Day at Raj Bhavan is evidently a contentious issue. While some political leaders argue that every Indian state has a foundation day and West Bengal should be no different, others feel that the celebration distorts the state’s heritage and is against its values.
