September 26, 2025
By what right have they withheld Bengal’s money? : Abhishek Banerjee
Today is the birth anniversary of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. On this occasion, Abhishek Banerjee visited Vidyasagar College and offered floral tributes at the statue of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.After coming out from the college premises, in response to a question from the press, Abhishek Banerjee said:’Amit Shah must come to the place where Vidyasagar’s statue was vandalised and seek an apology’. Here are some important excerpts from Abhishek Banerjee’s remarks at Vidyasagar College premises:
I don’t want to make this a political event. The reason we have come here today is not because of politics. But since you all have asked, we cannot ignore the incident that occurred here in 2019 and at whose behest [BJP]. The broken statue is still kept inside, do pay your respects when you go in
We have all read about and heard from our elders about Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar while growing up. The way he fought uncompromisingly, the forerunner of the Bengal Renaissance, the creator of ‘Borno Porichoy’, the one who eradicated child marriage: Vidyasagar has contributed to Bengal’s cultural progress time and again. We all learned about him. But those who came from outside, forced North Indian culture on us, and broke Vidyasagar’s statue, people of Bengal gave a befitting response to them
I felt deeply saddened that someone [Amit Shah] who came to inaugurate a puja pandal just 10 minutes away was not even aware that today is the 205th birth anniversary of Vidyasagar. He did not have the courtesy to visit Vidyasagar’s house or Vidyasagar College to pay his respects. This is why we call them Bangla-Birodhi. People have seen it before and they will see it again
Our political battles will continue, but the way they insult Bengal’s stalwarts cannot be forgotten. They don’t know where Rabindranath Tagore was born. They mispronounce Panchanan Barma. They are unaware of the contributions of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, or Khudiram Bose. We do not need to learn about Bengal’s culture from them. The person inaugurating a Durga Puja pandal today is the same person who said five years ago that there are no Durga Pujas in Bengal. Today, that very Durga Puja has been recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage site. No other festival or celebration from BJP-ruled States has received such recognition. Our Kanyashree scheme has also received international acclaim. They should learn from us
Today, the Calcutta High Court has also passed an order that the FRRO deportation of a pregnant woman from Birbhum, Sonali Bibi, along with five others, was invalid. The court has ordered their repatriation within four weeks. They are arresting and detaining people just for speaking in Bengali. On Vidyasagar’s birth anniversary, along with the slap that the High Court has delivered today, they must apologise first
First, they should apologise standing before Vidyasagar’s statue. And the way they are going to Durga and Kali temples, may Maa bless them. But the way they ignored Vidyasagar’s contributions, and at his [Amit Shah] behest the statue was broken, those people are still in the BJP, with no action taken against them
I do not want to talk too much about politics today, but since you asked, I answered. I hope today remains apolitical. I am fortunate that when I undertook the Nabo Jowar Yatra in Birsingha GP, Ghatal, I was able to visit Vidyasagar’s birthplace. After coming to power, our AITC government did not just build a ‘torong’ at Ghatal Chandrakona Road, but spent Rs 2.5 crore renovating the entire property. We built a Shishu Udyan, a memorial temple, and an entrance gate. Even in Kolkata, we have undertaken preservation and renovation of his house. We have tried to ensure that the new generation remembers, and history does not forget these contributions
[Reacting to HM Amit Shah’s comment] You should first ask them: when will they release the Rs 2 lakh crore dues owed to Bengal? Why did they stall these funds? And if they say we are lying, let them choose a channel and a time. I will present myself with documents and evidence, even if the channel is theirs. By what right have they withheld Bengal’s money?
He [Amit Shah] speaks of creating a “Sonar Bangla.” Then why don’t you ask him: two days ago in Patna, a main road caved in and cars collapsed in the void. Why were they not able to make Sonar Bihar? Bridges collapse every other day in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Why not Sonar Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, or Jharkhand? They even use Bengal’s bridges as examples in UP, then why haven’t they built a “Sonar Bridge” in UP in the last seven years? The money they take from Bengal is being used in their own States. Were they able to create a Sonar UP, MP, or Gujarat?
Two days ago, Bengal faced incessant rain. Some news outlets highlighted the ‘terrible condition of Bengal’. But when there is 300 mm rain in four hours, naturally there will be difficulties. These disasters should not be politicised. And yet, look at Bengal’s resilience. In 48 hours, we have bounced back. Despite such rainfall, how is Amit Shah moving freely from one place to another? If the city was under water, how is he roaming around? This shows that if the government is determined, it can work, and our government has done so
They promised ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ if they came to power in Bengal. Then why don’t they implement it in Tripura, Assam, or Rajasthan? Why don’t they directly credit Rs 1,000 into women’s bank accounts there, the way CM Mamata Banerjee has done here? We are not in power there, so why not do it in their own States?
My question is, why didn’t he come here from Santosh Mitra Square? It is hardly 10 minutes by car. It is because he is Bangla-Birodhi. They refuse to pay respects to Bengal. The British were defeated by Bengal’s revolutionaries, what is BJP compared to that? They are no match for the people’s determination
This is something only PM Modi or BJP can answer, not me. But let me say this: these are political rhetorics, not welfare schemes. Compare it with Bengal’s model; we launched Lakshmir Bhandar for every woman in the family immediately after elections. We could have waited three years and used it as a political gimmick before 2024, but we did not. For us, governance and welfare are paramount. That is the difference between us. We are with the people 365 days, 24×7, not just before elections
