A committee set up by the West Bengal Assembly to determine the day for the 'Paschingbanga Diwas' (state's foundation day) has recommended that it be observed on April 15 as 'Bangla Diwas'.
State Parliamentary Affairs minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay said the committee has sent the proposal to the state government to take a final call.
"A committee to decide on Paschimbanga Diwas (foundation day) has recommended that the day be observed on April 15 and be christened as Bangla Diwas. The committee has sent its recommendation to the state government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will decide on it," he told PTI on Monday.
West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee had constituted the committee with Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee as the convenor and Harvard University Professor and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's grandnephew Sugata Bose as an advisor.
The committee also had state Education minister Bratya Basu, Urban Development minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, and Law Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya as some of the members.
When contacted, Bose told PTI the recommendation of April 15 has been made "considering the date being an auspicious one and also resonates with the culture of Bengal." "We have recommended the date April 15 as it is an auspicious date. And we didn't want the reflection of the trauma of partition and killings on the day when we observe our state day. Secondly, we have chosen the name Bangla Diwas, as this was the name that was chosen while the state assembly passed a proposal to change the name of West Bengal to Bangla," he said.
Bengali New Year is celebrated on April 15 every year.
Although the proposal to change the state's name was sent to the Centre and a final decision was awaited, the committee members advocated for the term 'Bangla Dibas'.
"I have also recommended that just like any other state, our state should also have an anthem," Bose said.
West Bengal's Foundation Day' was celebrated in several states on June 20 despite strong opposition by Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, who termed it "a political move by the saffron camp." Reacting to the committee's recommendations, BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said it is an attempt to appease vote bank politics and ensure the young generations of the state are not aware of the history.
"It is an attempt to ensure we forget history and appease the minority vote bank. The people of the state, cutting across political and religious lines, must oppose this proposal," he said.
The celebration of the day on June 20 had kicked off a storm in the state this year, with the state government and Raj Bhavan locking horns with Banerjee accusing the BJP and Governor C V Ananda Bose of using the state's 'Foundation Day' for political gains and promoting a narrative favoured by the saffron camp.
Bose, who organised the state's 'Foundation Day' programme at the Raj Bhavan despite objections by Banerjee, said the Bengal government's concern would be "treated with all seriousness." The BJP, too, had observed the day across the state.
On June 20, 1947, two meetings of separate sets of legislators in the Bengal Assembly were held. One of those who wanted West Bengal as part of India voted in favour of the resolution by a majority. The other was of legislators of areas which eventually became East Pakistan.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
