The West Bengal Legislative Assembly will discuss a resolution on Paschim Banga Dibas (West Bengal Day) on September 7, State Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee said on Thursday.
“A section of MLAs had written to me about the confusion relating to Paschim Banga Dibas and that the matter be discussed in the State Assembly. Accordingly, a resolution has been tabled. We will discuss the issue on September 7,” the Speaker told journalists.
On Tuesday (August 29), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee chaired an all-party meeting to discuss a suitable date to observe Paschim Banga Dibas.
The meeting was not attended by representatives of the major political parties in the Opposition — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress. The major Opposition parties have so far not clarified their stand on the proposed resolution that is likely to be tabled by MLAs of the Treasury Benches.
Representatives of civil society, and the Speaker of the State Assembly, were among those who participated in the meeting on Tuesday (August 29). Sources said a final call on the day to be observed Paschim Banga Dibas may be taken on the floor of the State Assembly.
While there has been no precedent of the West Bengal Government observing the State’s ‘Foundation Day’, the State unit of the BJP has been observing June 20 as Paschim Banga Dibas for the past few years, paying homage to the late Jan Sangh founder and member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly, Syama Prasad Mookerjee. This year, Governor C.V. Ananda Bose also observed June 20 as Paschim Banga Dibas, triggering a war of words with the State government.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on August 29 said that June 20, which is linked with Partition of the country, can never be declared as West Bengal’s Statehood day. She called all stakeholders to come out with suggestions on the issue.
On June 20, 1947 the Bengal Legislative Assembly held a meeting to decide if the Bengal Presidency would stay with India or Pakistan, or be divided, having the Hindu majority districts staying with India as West Bengal and the Muslim majority areas forming East Pakistan.
Earlier, on July 31, 2023 the West Bengal Assembly had passed a resolution condemning the violence in Manipur. In February this year, the State Assembly had passed a resolution against “attempts to divide West Bengal”.
