Kolkata: After consulting eminent personalities and introducing a bill in the Assembly, the previous Trinamool Congress government had decided to observe Poila Boishakh (the Bengali New Year) as 'Banga Divas' (Bengal Day).
That decision is now set to change.
The new BJP government in West Bengal has decided that June 20 will henceforth be officially observed as 'West Bengal Day'.
Until now, the BJP had been marking the day on its own at Lok Bhavan (formerly Raj Bhavan). On Wednesday, the state Cabinet approved the proposal to celebrate West Bengal Day on June 20.
State Panchayat Minister Dilip Ghosh announced the Cabinet's decision at Nabanna. He also said that a statue of Syama Prasad Mookerjee would be installed in Kolkata.
July 6 marks the 125th birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee. A committee comprising MLAs, MPs, and prominent members of society will be formed to identify a suitable location for the statue.
A foundation-laying ceremony is scheduled to take place there on July 6.
When asked whether the new government was effectively scrapping Poila Boishakh as Bengal Day, Minister Dilip Ghosh replied, "From now on, June 20 will be the day that is observed."
The BJP in West Bengal has long advocated for observing June 20 as West Bengal Day. Several years ago, the issue became a point of contention between the BJP and the then-ruling Trinamool Congress government.
According to the BJP, June 20, 1947, was a historic date because the Bengal Legislative Assembly voted on the partition of Bengal.
On that day, legislators from Hindu-majority areas voted in favour of creating a separate province within India, which later became West Bengal.
Syama Prasad Mookerjee strongly advocated the partition of Bengal, arguing that if India were divided, Bengal too should be partitioned, with the Hindu-majority regions forming West Bengal.
Ultimately, that is what transpired. The BJP cites this historical development as the basis for commemorating June 20 as West Bengal Day.