New Delhi (Agency): The West Bengal assembly made a big decision on Thursday by voting to celebrate Poila Baisakh, the Bengali New Year, as “Bangla Diwas” or state day. The decision comes amid a political tug-of-war between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the state’s governor. Mamata Banerjee stated that the day would be observed even if it does not get the governor’s approval.
Out of 294 members in the House, 167 voted in favor of observing Poila Baisakh as the state day, while 62 members from the BJP voted against it. The BJP wanted June 20, the day the Bengal assembly voted in favor of partition in 1947, to be recognized as the state day instead. One member from the ISF party abstained from voting.
The assembly also proposed making Rabindranath Tagore’s song ‘Banglar Mati, Banglar Jol’ (Bengal’s Soil, Bengal’s Water) the official state song. “People of Bengal don’t support June 20, which is linked to the violence and bloodshed of partition as the state foundation day,” said Banerjee during her speech.
This decision comes a week after Mamata Banerjee had criticized the Centre’s choice of June 20 as the state’s foundation day. She said it was “wrong” and declared that the assembly would decide the day to be observed as state day. On June 20, 1947, members of the Bengal assembly had voted for the partition, which led to the creation of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
Responding to the opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari’s comment that Governor CV Ananda Bose would not give his approval, Mamata Banerjee said, “If the governor doesn’t give his nod to this resolution of observing state day on Poila Baisakh, we will still observe it.”
The BJP legislative party opposed the resolution, calling it an “attempt to distort history.” But despite this opposition, the ruling party, led by Mamata Banerjee, seems determined to go ahead with their plans for celebrating Poila Baisakh as the state day. This move may have larger implications for the cultural and political landscape of West Bengal.