Kolkata, (Samajweekly) A proposal for celebrating Polia Boishakh (Bengali New Year’s Day) as the Statehood Day for West Bengal is likely to be passed in the state Assembly next month.
In all probability, sources from the ruling Trinamool Congress said, a proposal on this count is likely to be moved on the floor of the Assembly on September 4.
There is a high possibility of moving a motion on a state song in lines of National Song on the floor of the house on the same day, they added.
Prior to that, there will be an all-party meeting at the state secretariat of Nabanna at 4.30 p.m. on August 29, where all recognised parties have been invited. The meeting will be chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
It is learnt that besides the Chief Minister, state Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay too is keen on having a separate state song of West Bengal in lines of the National Song.
The states already having their own state songs include Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Odisha and Tamil Nadu, among others.
However, the principal opposition party in the state, BJP is against celebrating Bengali New Year’s Day as the Statehood Day for West Bengal, instead they prefer to celebrate the West Bengal Foundation Day on June 20.
This year there had been tussle between the state government and the Raj Bhavan after the Governor C.V. Ananda Bose celebrated West Bengal Foundation Day within the Governor’s House premises on that day.
The development attracted scathing criticisms from the chief minister who said that she is stunned at the decision of the Governor on this count. She even sent a communiqué to the Governor, claiming that since inception the people of West Bengal have never rejoiced or commemorated or celebrated any day as the foundation day of West Bengal.
