West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday said representatives of various Hindu organisations met him to express reservations over the TMC government's decision to celebrate August 16 as 'Khela Hobe divas'. He also said that the representatives pointed out that the Muslim League had called for Direct Action Day on August 16, 1946, which resulted in large scale violence and bloodshed.
The slogan ‘Khela Hobe’ (Game on) had been the TMC’s key slogan in the last Assembly election. The Chief Minister recently announced that August 16 will be observed as ‘Khela Hobe Divas’ to pay homage to the football fans who lost their lives in a stampede on the day 40 years ago.
“Representatives of Sanatan organisations called on Governor WB today to seek change in the date of "Khela Hobe Divas" as it reminds the horrendous memories of Direct Action Day and ‘the week of long knives’ in 1946 that led to killings of thousands,” tweeted Dhankhar.
Dhankhar also said that he would convey their message to the government. "Their (Hindu leaders') only objection was to the date of ‘Khela Hobe Divas’... Governor assured them that their feelings would be conveyed to the government,” he wrote on the microblogging site.
Leader of the Opposition in Assembly and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, who led the group of monks to Raj Bhavan, said any celebration on August 16 would bring back painful memories of a gory past. "Accompanied by revered monks, pleaded the Honourable Governor Shri Dhankarji to persuade the WB Govt to change the day of the proposed Khela Hobe divas, as any celebration on this day would only make the Bengalis relive the pain of the gory past," the saffron party leader said.
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