Feature Image Credits: PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) helmed by West Bengal Chief Minister have locked horns over Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s legacy ahead of the significant 2021 West Bengal Assembly Elections.

Both the West Bengal government and the Centre carried out imposing and extravagant programmes on January 23 to mark the birth anniversary of the freedom fighter and leader of the Azad Hind Fauj. PM Modi even flew in to Kolkata to attend the Centre’s programmes on Saturday, which was also attended by CM Banerjee. This is the first time Modi visited Kolkata on January 23.

While the Chief Minister took a 10-km stroll between north and central Kolkata, the Prime Minister’s programmes focussed more on cultural events and felicitating INA veterans. Given the growing importance of the state in the BJP’s political and electoral goals, the PM launched the celebrations at Victoria Memorial with a speech to the crowd sprinkled with Bengali quotes of Subhash Chandra Bose.

“Today I bow before the sacred land of Bengal that brought up little Subhas and taught him to grow through sacrifice. This land gave the country its national song and anthem,” said the PM.

The Centre’s Atmanirbhar Bharat, or self-reliant India project, which focuses on indigenous production, would have made Subhas Chandra Bose proud had he been around, he said. “The nation is following the path Netaji showed,” he added. “Netaji said if you are true to yourself you cannot be wrong to the world. We have to make zero-defect products for the world… I often think how Netaji would feel seeing India surging ahead, its army getting modern weapons, planes like Rafale guarding the nation, vaccines being produced in India. How proud he must have felt seeing India giving vaccines to other nations.”

Mamata miffed at “Jai Shri Ram” slogans

Earlier, when Mamata Banerjee had risen to address the crowd, slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” were raised, which irked her. She then refused to speak, as she felt “insulted”.

“I feel a government programme must have some dignity. This is not a political programme but a government programme and it is for the public and all political parties. I am grateful to the Prime Minister and the Culture Ministry that this event is being held in Kolkata. But it is not right to invite someone to a government programme and insult that person. In protest, I am not saying anything. Jai Hind, Jai Bangla,” said Banerjee.

CM Banerjee stayed till the end of the event and took her seat alongside PM Modi. They were also seen talking. PM Modi took the stage shortly after but didn’t refer to Mamata Banerjee’s refusal to speak or her sudden exit from the stage. He mentioned her name as he mentioned all the other dignitaries attending the event, and referred to her as ‘behen’ (sister).

Modi released a collection of Bose’s letters, two commemorative coins and a stamp. He also felicitated INA veterans Nayek Lalti Ram, Dr BN Pandey and INA Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon’s daughter-in-law. He named eminent social reformers, scientists and educationists and even former President Pranab Mukherjee, who was awarded with the Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest civilian award, by the BJP government.

Union culture and tourism minister Prahlad Singh Patel was also present at the Victoria Memorial Hall. “Netaji probably did not get the honour he deserves. Today, events are also being held at Cuttack in Odisha where Netaji was born and at Haripura in Gujarat, where he was elected president of the Congress party for the first time,” Patel said.

“Why not four capitals?”

Over the last few months, the TMC chief has been painting the BJP as an “outsider” to Bengal, in a bid to pit Bengalis against non-Bengalis and to garner Bengali sympathy and support.

On Saturday, she went a step further while addressing supporters in her roadshow and mooted the idea of India having four capitals, one each in the north, south, east and north-east. Kolkata, of course, was pitched as one of the alternative capital cities.

Invoking Netaji, she said, “Like Netaji Subhash Bose, Bengalis will not tolerate insults. Kolkata was the capital of British India. Our contribution to Independence cannot be slighted. Why should power now be concentrated only in Delhi, which is full of outsiders? Why not make Kolkata a second capital? In fact, why not have four capitals,” Banerjee said.

“I am not being parochial or regional. There can be a capital in the Northern region in Uttar Pradesh or Punjab. There could be another in South, which can be in Kerala, Tamil Nadu or Andhra. A third can be explored in the east, preferably Kolkata. The fourth will be in the North East,” she continued.

‘Parakram Divas’ or ‘Desh Nayak Divas’?

The celebration of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s 125th birth anniversary has been hotly contested by the TMC and the BJP, as the Centre announced on January 19 that from this year January 23 will be celebrated as ‘Parakram Divas’. Banerjee further raised objections to the Centre’s move by saying that the name was “too Hindi”. She reasoned that a national hero from Bengal should be celebrated with names that are closer to their mother tongue.

Mamata Banerjee had said, “I don’t understand the meaning of ‘Parakram Divas’. We celebrate the day as ‘Desh Nayak Divas’.” She also asked why January 23 is not a national holiday, why there is no memorial for Netaji  or why all the files pertaining to Netaji and his disappearance haven’t been released, and added that the West Bengal government celebrates the day every year, not only in an election year.

Playing the Bengali versus non-Bengali card, TMC leaders have often said that the BJP is a political party from the Hindi heartland and that it is now trying to “usurp” Bengali heroes for political purposes. The two parties had earlier clashed over the birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda.

Netaji’s house sees renewed interest

Mamata Banerjee has also diligently been visiting Netaji’s ancestral home in south Kolkata – which now houses the Netaji Research Bureau. Prime Minister Modi too made a last minute modification to his schedule to visit the place. Several BJP leaders, including Bose family member Chandra Kumar Bose, also wanted to visit the Elgin Road house along with the PM. However, Sugata Bose, another relative of Netaji, reportedly objected to it. Ultimately, it was only the Prime Minister who went there.

“We requested that the PM visit Netaji Bhavan as head of the country and not as a political party representative. He obliged and took a tour of the house and the museum,” Sugata said adding, “The Bhavan is open for everyone. Anyone can visit it. But, we would like to keep the day (January 23) free of politics.”