West Bengal: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also urged Centre to declare January 23 national vacation. (PTI)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has mentioned that India ought to have 4 option capital cities. She mentioned that British ruled complete nation from Kolkata. “I believe that India must have 4 alternate capitals. The English ruled the entire country from Kolkata. Why should there be only one capital city in our country,” mentioned West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee although addressing a rally in Kolkata on the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
She also questioned Centre’s selection to declare January 23 as Parakram Diwas. “We have observed ‘Deshnaayak Divas’ today. Rabindranath Tagore called Netaji ‘Deshnaayak’. What is this ‘Parakram’?” questioned Banerjee.
She mentioned, “I would like to voice my dissent against the Central government’s decision to never observe the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, before today.”
The CM mentioned that Netaji took every person with each other and the state government will create a monument to honour Netaji.
“When Netaji constituted the Indian National Army, he took everyone including people from Gujarat, Bengal, Tamil Nadu. He stood against the divide and rule policy of the British….We will build an Azad Hind Monument. We will show how it will be done. They’ve spent thousands of crores in building statues and a new parliament complex,” mentioned Banerjee.
Earlier in the day, Banerjee led a procession from Syambazar region in the northern portion of Kolkata to Netaji’s statue on Red Road of the city.
Attacking the Centre, she mentioned that the BJP remembers him only when there are elections. “Netaji had the foresight to conceptualise a Planning Commission & the Indian National Army before Independence. They claim to idolise him but scrapped the Planning Commission. We do not celebrate Netaji’s birthday only in the years when there are elections. We are celebrating this occasion in a grand manner because it’s his 125th birth anniversary,” mentioned Banerjee.
The CM also mentioned that a monument named soon after Azad Hind Fauj will be constructed in Rajarhat region, adding that a state-funded university will be committed to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
Reacting to West Bengal government’s criticism of Centre declaring January 23 as ‘Parakram Diwas’ Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has mentioned that it is not excellent for the state government to query just about every selection of Central government and go against cooperative federalism.