Bengal Elections 2021: The day 23rd January 2021 marks as the 125th birthday of India's greatest freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's birthday. To commemorate Netaji's struggle in the fight for the country's Independence, India celebrates the day as 'Prakram Diwas'. Both Prime Minister Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have planned extensive celebrations for this day and after a long time, both of them might come face to face in Bengal.
PM Modi's visit to Bengal on Netaji's birthday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address 'Parakram Diwas' celebrations in Kolkata on January 23 to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose, an iconic freedom fighter who hailed from the state. The Prime Minister's office in its official statement said the Prime Minister will officially inaugurate the event at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.
PM Modi's event in the evening at Victoria Memorial will see Usha Uthup perform Rabindranath Tagore's 'Ekla Cholo Re' along with a choir.
A group of schoolchildren will perform 'Kadam Kadam Barhaye Ja', a song which was composed as a marching tune for Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army in 1942.
Singer Papon will present a song titled 'Subhashji Subhashji'. The fourth song at the event is another patriotic song, 'Dhono Dhane Pushpe Bhora'.
PM Modi will release a book 'Letters of Netaji'. The final song followed at the event will be 'Subh Sukh Chain', the anthem of the INA, which will be presented by Usha Uthup, Papon, and Soumyojit, joined by singers like Annwesha, Somlata and others.
At the event, an exhibition and a projection mapping show on Netaji will be inaugurated which will be showcased all around the year. A cultural programme "Amra Nuton Jouboneri Doot", based on the theme of Netaji, will also be held.
Mamata Banerjee to hold a march on Netaji's birthday
From setting up a national university and a monument to forming a state planning commission and publishing books, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has planned extensively to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose right from January 23 till the end of 2021.
Banerjee announced that January 23 will be celebrated with a grand parade in Kolkata and the Independence Day parade in the city will be dedicated to Netaji. She has alos requested the people of the state to blow the conch to mark the birthday celebration of Netaji Subhash Chandra bose.
The monument, to be named after Azah Hind Fauj, the army Bose led against the British, will come up at Rajarhat in the eastern outskirts of Kolkata and the university, to be funded entirely by the state, will have tie-ups with foreign universities
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lead a 6-km march in Kolkata, from Shyambazar in the north to Red Road in the heart of the city.
Centre vs State on Netaji's birthday
The state and the centre are in a tussle over the declaration of 'Parakram Diwas'. Netaji's birth anniversary will be known as Parakram Diwas, according to the centre.
The state government had requested the centre to declare it as 'Desh Nayak Diwas' as Rabindranath Tagore had bestowed the title of Desh Nayak on Netaji.
Earlier demands to declare Netaji's birth anniversary as Desh Prem Diwas have also been ignored by the centre. The TMC has hit out at the BJP for not understanding the culture of Bengal and even the BJP's Chandra Bose, who is Subhas Chandra Bose's grandnephew, has also said Desh Prem Diwas is more appropriate that Parakram Diwas.
Banerjee had also said, "The real evaluation of Netaji has not been done in India after Independence. This is unfortunate. Also, although we know on which day he was born, the nation does not know what happened to him at the end. I demand that his birthday be declared a national holiday and all records relating to his disappearance be made public."