‘Centre reluctant to declare Netaji’s birthday nat’l holiday’

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday hit out at the Union government for their alleged reluctance to declare the birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (January 23) as a national holiday.

She also hit out at the BJP-ruled central government for not keeping their promise of investigating Netaji’s disappearance.

Banerjee said that it’s a shame for the nation that even after so many years of the disappearance of Netaji, the people of the country have no idea about what happened to the leader or the date of his death.

“I have been trying my best that the Centre declares Netaji’s birthday as a national holiday for the past 20 years but I apologise for my inability to achieve the same,” she said.

In an apparent reference to the Centre declaring a half-day holiday in central government offices for Ram Temple’s consecration ceremony on Monday, Banerjee said these days holidays are declared for political advertisements, but nothing is announced for those who gave up their lives fighting for the country’s freedom.

“In India, holidays are declared for political propaganda but not for those great souls who have sacrificed their life for the country. It is a shame that we are still in the dark about what happened to him after his disappearance, whether he was subjected to torture, where he stayed or whether he operated from any hideout,” the Chief Minister remarked while addressing a programme to pay homage to Netaji on the occasion of the 127th birth anniversary of the legendary freedom fighter at the base of his statue on Red Road.

Hitting out at the BJP-ruled Central government for not keeping their promise of investigating Netaji’s disappearance, Banerjee said: “Before coming to power at the Centre, the current ruling party promised to make efforts to solve the mystery. But after coming to power they did not take the matter further. Whereas, after coming to power in Bengal in 2011, we declassified 64 files related to Netaji that were preserved in our state archives,” she said.

Banerjee further took the opportunity to slam the Centre’s move to dissolve the Planning Commission and replace it with the NITI Aayog.

“The Planning Commission was the brainchild of Netaji. They dissolved it. Even the name of a dockyard named after Netaji was changed. Now there is no planning for development. The planning has shifted towards killing, planning has gone to brutality and hatred politics and creating divisions among people,” Banerjee said.

She referred to Niti Aayog as a doll made out of wax that has no functioning in the real sense of the term.

She reiterated the qualities of a real leader of the nation in an apparent dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The leader of a nation should be the one who is able to embrace people from all religions. A real leader will have Hindus on one side, Muslims on the other, Christians, Jains, Buddhist, Sikhs on another,” she maintained.

“The country would have emerged as a more developed country on the world stage if it had followed the message that Netaji had delivered before Independence. Netaji has taught us to live with our heads held high and to progress with people from all castes and creeds. The void left by Netaji is still there,” Banerjee said in a voice of regret.

On her Facebook page, she wrote: “Despite the BJP-led Central Govt’s refusal to designate Netaji’s birthday as a national holiday, Bengal remains steadfast in its commitment to honouring our leaders who worked tirelessly for our nation’s freedom. Inspired by Netaji’s clarion call for Azad Hind, we will ensure that our country is free from the shackles of oppression, exploitation and injustice.”

Paying his respect, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee posted on X: “I bow my head in humble reverence to Netaji on his birth anniversary. His legacy is a living force that beckons us to uphold the values of freedom, equality & unity. May we, in our individual capacities, contribute to the dream he envisioned – a resplendent India.”