West Bengal Assembly picks Poila Boishakh as state’s foundation day, BJP against decision

Amid a clear divide between the ruling Trinamool Congress, and the BJP in the Opposition, the West Bengal assembly, on Thursday, passed a resolution to accept Poila Boishakh – the first day of the Bengali calendar – as the day for observing Bangla Diwas or the state’s foundation day. 

Nobel laureate and poet Rabindranath Tagore’s Banglar Mati Banglar Jol has been adopted as the state’s anthem. The resolution sailed through with 167 votes in favour, and 62 votes against the resolution.

The trigger for the hurried resolution is preceded by recent developments around the idea of formally celebrating Bengal’s foundation day, like those of other states.

Earlier this year, state Governor CV Ananda Bose, observed the “Foundation Day of West Bengal” on June 20, a day after Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written to him, requesting not to hold such a programme. 

After the celebration, the Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, in a note, had mentioned that the advisory for the commemoration of foundation day of states had been communicated by the Centre, proposing observing the same by all Raj Bhavans.

The BJP is in favour of observing June 20 as the state’s foundation day. On this day in 1947, there were two votes: “In the first division, the Bengal Legislative Assembly voted to incorporate the entire province in the new state of Pakistan.

But a separate meeting of legislators from the non-Muslim majority districts of Bengal voted resoundingly to seek partition of the province and keep the Hindu majority areas in India,” Amit Malviya, BJP leader, mentioned in a tweet.

Banerjee, in her letter sent to the governor on June 19, had mentioned that the carving out of the undivided state in 1947 involved a “painful and traumatic process”. She mentioned that the “slicing”, then, was seen as a “historical necessity at that point of time”. The chief minister had protested against the “ahistorical, unconstitutional and unilateral decision of the Government of India to commemorate the so-called ‘Foundation Day of the State of West Bengal’ on 20th June”.

Speaking on Thursday, the Bengal chief minister pointed out that June 20, earlier, was never observed as the foundation day, and supported the Bengali new year day as was proposed in the resolution. “It doesn’t matter whether anyone supports, or not… we will observe it…,” she said.

Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, along with other BJP party MLAs, submitted a memorandum to Governor Bose expressing resentment and concern regarding the resolution. “We respectfully request you to kindly tread cautiously as and when something regarding this matter is placed before you in any form,” the memorandum stated.