Mamata attends Amrit Mahotsav event headed by PM Modi
New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, for the first time, attended the 3rd Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav national committee meeting on Saturday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan cultural centre. The meeting was chaired under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the Centre's mega initiative to celebrate India's 75 years of Independence, titled Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM).
Earlier, Trinamool Congress claimed that the CM did not attend the previous meetings due to "lack of a cohesive approach" by the Union government to work with states. To review the progress of the Mahotsav, such meetings are being held. As per the data provided by the Central government, till March, this year, among states, Congress-ruled Rajasthan had organised the most number of events under the AKAM in the last one year at 1,284 programmes with others like Haryana (1,208), Gujarat (1,018), Tripura (716), Madhya Pradesh (402) and Uttar Pradesh(327) participating enthusiastically.
Telangana (11) and Assam (20) have recorded the lowest number of events.
Cultural minister G Kishen Reddy also claimed earlier that West Bengal is not taking part in the AKAM, and is constantly going against the Centre. However, the presence of Banerjee at the event this time is significant.
However, her party TMC or the CM's Office is yet to make any official statement. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, and Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao skipped the meeting. They both will also be absent from the Niti Aayog's meeting. The National Committee for the AKAM includes Lok Sabha Speaker, Governors, Union ministers, Chief Ministers, political leaders, officials, media personalities, spiritual leaders, artists and film personalities, and eminent persons from other sectors.
The first meeting of the National Committee was held on March 8, 2021, before the launch of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav by the Prime Minister on March 12, 2021. The second meeting of the committee was held on December 22, 2021.
While addressing the third national committee meeting of the AKAM, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is the 'Sanskar Utsav' for the current generation. Amrit Kaal will be the period of 'Sankalp se Siddhi' to "realise the dreams for our nation". "We must nourish and nurture our unity and take forward the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat," said PM Modi. He also added: "Tiranga is a symbol of unity, a unity which brings positivity and prosperity for the nation."
In his closing remarks, the Prime Minister requested the committee members to send in their suggestions for further enriching Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
The members of the committee thanked the Prime Minister for the organisation of the year-long programme. They gave an overview of the activities taken up by them under Amrit Mahotsav and also gave their suggestions and inputs to further strengthen the campaign. Union minister Amit Shah welcomed the committee members to the meeting. Shah explained that more than 60,000 programmes have been organised successfully in the country till date and the AKAM programme has percolated down from the national to the state, district and grassroots levels. In his concluding remarks, he expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and the members of the national committee for giving their valuable suggestions and time.
Cultural Secretary Govind Mohan said that the AKAM has been high on 'Jan Bhagidari' (mass participation) and an inclusive approach due to which it has reached every nook and corner of the country.
Banerjee is on a four-day visit to Delhi and met both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu on Friday here. She is also scheduled to attend the Niti Aayog governing council meeting on Sunday morning. She had skipped such a meeting last year, which was also chaired by PM Modi.
