Kolkata, April 15 (IANS) On the auspicious occasion of Poila Boishakh i.e. Bengali New Year’s Day on Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of trying to mislead people.
He accused her of trying to distort history by equating Poila Boishakh with Bangla Dibos or Bangla Day, which signifies the foundation day of West Bengal.
His remarks came after the Chief Minister, through a message posted on the wall of her official X handle, greeted the people of West Bengal on the occasion.
However, instead of ‘Subho Nababarsha (Happy Bengali New Year's Day)’, she wrote, “on this occasion of Bangla Dibos (Bangla Day), ” and conveyed greetings to all citizens and best wishes to her “younger brothers and sisters.”
In her message, she quoted the first line of the song “Ami Banglai Gan Gai (I sing in Bengali)” and said, “May the traditional culture of the state be further developed, and may the bonds of brotherhood among the people of the state be further strengthened.”
Her message is significant given the fact that the state has witnessed violent protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
Hundreds of Hindus have fled their homes in the Murshidabad district, where their properties were looted, burnt, and temples desecrated. Two have died in the violence so far.
In his message on X, the LoP ridiculed the Chief Minister both on the issues of Murshidabad violence as well her description of Bengali New Year’s Day as Bangla Day.
“While Rome was burning, Emperor Nero was playing the fiddle! When communal violence is blazing in the state, it is natural for you to sing... But the melody of the song is out of tune!” the statement by Adhikari read.
Adhikari had also claimed that the people of West Bengal would have felt safer had action been initiated by the state government against those who were “rioting, burning government property, and killing people.”
The LoP had also commented on the Chief Minister’s message equating Bengali New Year’s Day with Bangla Day.
Adhikari pointed out that June 20 is historically considered the foundation day of West Bengal, since on that day in 1947, the decision to establish the state was sealed by a vote in the Bengal Provincial Legislative Assembly.
“So 'West Bengal Day' will be celebrated on June 20. And your intention to erase history will never be fulfilled, the name of the state will remain West Bengal because the word 'West' carries memories of a bloody history, which you want to forget, but ironically your political activities are making the memories of that painful chapter even more relevant today, ” Adhikari’s message read.
On the occasion, he also mentioned the contribution of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee behind the inclusion of West Bengal into India.