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West Bengal Governor Observes State Foundation Day, Experts Term it ‘Detrimental’
Sandip Chakraborty |
CV Ananda Bose observed the Foundation Day at the Raj Bhawan despite CM Mamata Banerjee’s vehement opposition.
Dancers perform during the West Bengal Foundation Day celebrations, at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, Tuesday, June 20, 2023.

Dancers perform during the West Bengal Foundation Day celebrations, at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Image Courtesy: PTI

Kolkata: West Bengal’s political commentators and anti-BJP politicians have termed governor CV Ananda Bose’s commemoration of the ‘West Bengal Foundation Day’ on Tuesday “detrimental” and an attempt to establish “an alternative power centre in the state”.

Ignoring chief minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee’s vehement opposition on Monday, Bose went ahead with observing the Foundation Day at the Raj Bhawan.

Later during the day, the Raj Bhawan contended that the “commemoration of Foundation Day of states was communicated by the Centre on May 11” in an advisory.

“The advisory proposed observing the foundation days of various states and UTs by all Raj Bhavans. Raj Bhavans have already observed five state Foundation Days and the celebration of West Bengal Foundation Day was in the sequence suggested by the advisory,” a Raj Bhavan statement read.

Expressing shock at the decision to celebrate the state’s foundation day, Banerjee had shot off a letter to Bose on Monday. “I am stunned and shocked to know that you have decided to organise a programme ... commemorating what you have particularly chosen to describe as “the State Foundation Day of West Bengal”.

The CM further wrote: “The division of Bengal, being a tragedy for millions of people, must not be celebrated. Moreover, the decision is not historically accurate in any way. The state was formed by the infamous Radcliffe Award, not on any particular day.

“West Bengal was carved out of the undivided State of West Bengal in 1947 through a most painful and traumatic process ... the state was not founded on any particular day, least of all on any 20th of June.”

On June 20, 1947, two groups of Bengal Assembly members held two meetings. The group seeking West Bengal as part of India voted in favour of the resolution by a majority. The other group comprise legislators of areas which eventually became East Pakistan. Around 2.5 million people were displaced and properties worth crores was burnt down in post-partition rioting.

The British Parliament passed the India Independence Act on July 15, 1947. On August 17, the Cyril Radcliffe Boundary Commission decision demarcating the borders was made public.

Referring to their “telephonic discussions” on Monday, in which Bose “admitted that [an] unilateral and non-consultative decision to declare a particular day as the Foundation Day of the State of West Bengal is not warranted”, she wrote: “You were kind enough to assure that you would not proceed to hold the programme.”

Terming the decision “unprecedented” and “unilateral”, taken without the “necessary consent of the State Cabinet and the State Legislature”, the CM wrote: “This act on your part would hurt the sentiments of people and insult and defame the millions of people in West Bengal today.”

After the event, Banerjee slammed the BJP for “shamelessly” exploiting Bose “for their political agenda”.

“Celebrating ‘State Foundation Day’ without consulting the elected government or the people of West Bengal is a blatant disregard for our culture and tradition. The painful partition and its aftermath shaped Bengal, not any religious identity. We strongly condemn the disgraceful action of politicising and distorting Bengal’s history,” she said.
 

Trinamool Congress (TNC) leaders protested the “unconstitutional move” near the Gandhi Murti on Tuesday and said, “There is no particular day to pinpoint the formation of the state. The decision was taken unilaterally by the government of India.”
 

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member and noted lawyer Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said that “the governor of West Bengal had crossed his limits by commemorating West Bengal’s ‘Foundation Day’ against people’s wish and the elected government of the state”.

“The governor cannot work as an alternative power centre in the state. He has to work in consultation with the elected government, which too has to work taking the governor into confidence,” he told Newsclick.

“The governor’s office and the elected government have developed animosity in the last few years. Since 2014, governors are working at the behest of the Central government. It is unethical,” he added.

Pointing out that the governor is “only the ornamental head of the state government, he said, “The governor is not elected; he is nominated and has very limited power.”

Political commentator DR Anjan Bera said that the governor’s role was never debated until 2014. “The BJP, without a front-ranking leader in the state, is using the governor’s office in a very detrimental way,” he told Newsclick.

“Even during Jagdeep Dhankhar’s stint, the state government and the governor’s office were at loggerheads. Their frequent confrontations made headlines while people were dying during the pandemic,” he said.

“Though the TMC helped Dhankhar to sail through the vice-presidential election after the infamous Darjeeling meeting,” he said referring to the meeting between the the-governor and Banerjee after which the TMC abstained from voting.  

Criticising Bose for observing the Foundation Day, Bera said, “The Hindu Mahasabha and other right-wing organisations wanted only Hindus in West Bengal after the Partition—hence the decision to observe the Foundation Day on June 20, when the Bengal presidency tabled the Bill to bifurcate Bengal in 1947.”

Alleging that the bifurcation is the BJP’s blueprint for causing communal disharmony in the state, he said, “Muslims comprise about 33% of the state’s population. Hindus and Muslims have lived here harmoniously for ages.”

In another controversial decision, Bose set up a ‘Peace Room’ at Raj Bhavan to register grievances of people allegedly threatened and intimidated before the July 8 panchayat election.

“Some miscreants are trying to disturb the peace and harmony. Therefore, it is essential that confidence be re-established in people. This is the reason why this ‘Peace Room’ has been created and will serve as an effective link between the government and the governed,” the governor told the media on Monday.
 

A 24x7 helpline number set up for complainants on Saturday received more than 500 calls within 48 hours, ThePrint reported.
 

CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim, however, the governor can directly apprise the CM of a problematic situation in the state. “The Peace Room was set up to highlight the state BJP. In fact, BJP Lok Sabha member Raju Bista was the first to call the helpline,” he told Newsclick.

“The state government is killing democracy and the governor is busy arranging for its funeral,” Salim recently told the media in Kolkata.

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