Every year from 2014, on January 23, the State Government is celebrating the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Darjeeling.
Netaji had stayed for some time in Darjeeling. That is why Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had decided to celebrate his birth anniversary there, in the form of a festival sha named Subhas Utsab.
Across Bangla, in every block, town and city, the festival is being celebrated through cultural programmes like sit-and-draw and essay-writing competitions, quiz shows and debates, and songs and dance shows.
The State Government has allocated Rs 10 lakh for the renovation of the house in Darjeeling where Netaji had stayed. The government has also declassified the secret files that it had.
On the occasion of the birth anniversary, Mamata Banerjee spoke at a government function in Darjeeling.
Salient points of her speech:
In 1936, Netaji had led the freedom struggle from Kurseong. In memory of that, our government had decided celebrate his birth anniversary here every year.
We are also celebrating in Kolkata, where the other ministers of the government are participating.
The slogan ‘Jai Hind’ is synonymous with Netaji, ‘Vande Mataram’ was coined by Bankim Chandra, while our national anthem was written Rabindranath Tagore.
In times of danger, it has always been Bengal that has showed the way. It was in Bengal that India’s struggle for independence started.
Subhas Chandra Bose formed the Indian National Army, in which Gorkhas from Nepal had enlisted. The first planning commission in India was also set up by him.
The one who can take everybody along, who can give his life for the country is the one who is fit to lead the country.
The one who is intent on breaking the nation up into pieces, creating divisions among its people can never lead it.
They have not done any work, have done nothing for the betterment of the people in the Hills region. They only make promises before elections which forget soon after.
It is sad that the Central Government has still not announced Netaji’s birth anniversary as a national holiday; the Bangla Government has already done so.
It is indeed sad and a matter of shame that even after so many years after independence, the death of Netaji has remained a mystery.
A secretariat for north Bengal has been constructed in Siliguri, a university has been set up – whatever needs to be done for the people of the Hills, we are doing. After the Lok Sabha elections, we will have a detailed discussion on the GTA.
The Bangla Government has set up 16 development boards, for which a total of Rs 625 crore has been allotted.
We do real development. We are committed to the development of the Hills.
