West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday evening forwarded a letter to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, requesting the latter not to celebrate Bengal’s Foundation Day at the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday.
In the letter, a copy of which is available with IANS, the Chief Minister expressed “shock” over the announcement by Raj Bhavan authorities about celebrating Bengal’s Foundation Day on Tuesday.
“I am shocked to know that you have decided to organise a programme on 20.06.2023 at the Raj Bhavan, commemorating what you have peculiarly chosen to describe as the state’s Foundation Day,” Banerjee said.
The Chief Minister also referred to a purported telephonic discussion between her and the Governor earlier in the day, where the latter purportedly admitted that an unilateral and non-conclusive decision to declare a particular day as the Foundation Day of West Bengal is not warranted.
According to Banerjee, the state was not founded on any particular day.
“Contrarily, the state was formed through the infamous Radcliffe Award, which was given legitimacy by the departing colonial/imperial government,” the letter read.
She also pointed out that since inception, the people of West Bengal have never rejoiced or commemorated or celebrated any day as the Foundation Day.
“Rather, we have seen Partition as a result of unleashing of communal forces that could not be resisted at that point of time,” the letter read.
Banerjee also said that she strongly protests this “ahistorical, unconstitutional and unilateral decision” of the Union government to commemorate the “so-called Foundation Day of West Bengal” on June 20.
“As agreed by you, I request you to kindly not hold any such programme which will rekindle the bitter memories of crores of people in West Bengal and re-incite undesirable forces,” the letter read.
20230619-235002
