Kolkata: The current youth generation in West Bengal needs to be aware of the history behind the relevance of June 20 as “Bengal Foundation Day” and the contribution of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee towards it, which, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress, the Communists and subsequently the Trinamool Congress deliberately tried to erase from the memories of the people of the state.
“First, the Congress regime in West Bengal, then that of the Left Front and finally the Trinamool Congress regime in the state made West Bengal a free land for illegal infiltrators. All these three forces tried to suppress the role played by Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee in keeping West Bengal a part of India. But the current generation of youth in West Bengal need to be aware of the circumstances prevailing in 1947, when, on this date that year, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee moved a proposal in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly to partition the province, integrating West Bengal into India,” the Prime Minister said while addressing a public gathering at Tarakeswar in Hooghly district of West Bengal on Saturday.
According to the Prime Minister, the celebration of “Bengal Foundation Day” on June 20 is an occasion to recollect history.
“In the past, there were deliberate attempts to suppress history. Bengal had endured riots, division and bloodshed. Many people died in the Noakhali riots. Congress succumbed to the conspiracy. Only Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was vocal against the conspiracy,” the Prime Minister said.
However, he added that the new BJP government in West Bengal is not only determined to prevent illegal infiltration but also to free the state of illegal infiltrators.
“There have been instances of illegal infiltration in West Bengal during the tenures of the Congress, the Left Front and the Trinamool Congress. Now the work of installing barbed wire on the border has started,” the Prime Minister said.
The previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal used to celebrate “Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year Day)” as Bengal Foundation Day, and hence there was no fixed day on the English calendar for observing the occasion.
However, the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has decided that June 20 will be celebrated as Bengal Foundation Day, considering the historical relevance of the date.
While former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee opposed celebrating Bengal Foundation Day on June 20 because of the pain associated with Partition for many people, the BJP argued that the foundation day of a state should be linked to the historical relevance associated with the date.
Speaking at the public meeting in Tarakeswar, the Prime Minister said that the positive impact of the results of the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections could already be felt by the people of the state.
“The people of West Bengal have been freed from the shackles of subjugation. The people of West Bengal are now independent. The old glory of West Bengal is returning. Does the change feel good? The double-engine government has started working. Work on many stalled projects has started. West Bengal is moving towards development at a super-fast pace,” the Prime Minister said.
(IANS)
