In match of 2021, I will be the goalkeeper, says Mamata
Kolkata: Speaking with a resolution at an event marking International Mother Language Day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said attempts to intimidate her would turn futile as she would never yield to such threats till her last breath. With a steely-resolve, she said in the 'match' (poll battle) of 2021, she would be her party's 'goalkeeper.' The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo stated that being a tigress, she could never be afraid of cats or rats.
Without naming BJP, the TMC supremo also cautioned the saffron party to not make any attempts of crushing the backbone of Bengal. "If you put me behind the bars, be rest assured that I will shout Joy Bangla from there as well. I will not tolerate any attempt to humiliate my mother. Any attempt to destroy our culture will be thwarted," she added. She was addressing the event at Deshpriya Park here.
Banerjee regretted that even after four years Centre had not cleared the proposal to change the name of West Bengal to Bangla. "When it comes to Bangla, the step-motherly attitude of the Centre becomes evident. There is always a tendency to lower the contribution of Bangla and humiliate the state in front of others," she added.
Without naming the BJP, she said: "They have even called us Kangalis (beggars). Just think of their audacity." The Bengal Assembly had passed the proposal to change the name of West Bengal to Bangla unanimously. It was then sent to the Centre for approval. "The Union Home ministry is sitting on the file and has not cited the reason for the inordinate delay," she maintained.
Banerjee urged people to say 'Joy Bangla' instead of uttering 'hello' to answer phone calls. Banerjee said: "I love Bengali language. I also respect Hindi, Urdu, Marathai, Santhali, Gurmukhi and other languages. On this auspicious day, we pay respect to all the languages." The Bengal government has made Hindi, Urdu, Santhali, Gurmukhi and Kurmali the official languages of the state among others.
Without naming the leaders of the saffron brigade, she said: "They cannot even pronounce "Bangla" properly and call it 'Bongal'. You should respect the language and the people," she maintained.
She garlanded the column to remember the martyrs of the language movement of 1952. She recited a poem written by Srijato. In a historic move, Banerjee gave recognition to 'Kheyal' in Bengali. A course in 'Kheyal' in Bengali has already started.
Kabir Suman sang 'Kheyal' in Bengali. It may be mentioned that Swami Vivekananda, who was a trained classical singer, had first raised the question as to why 'kheyals' could not be sung in Bengali. Great classical singers like Gopeshwar Bandyopadhyay, Tarapada Chakraborty, Chinmoy Lahiri and Kalipada Das used to sing 'Kheyals' in Bengali.
