Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday linked West Bengal’s Partition-era history with its current political landscape, asserting that the state is now moving along a development path aligned with the cultural identity envisioned in 1947. Addressing a gathering in Hooghly district to mark 'Paschimbanga Divas' (West Bengal Day), Modi said attempts were made during Partition to include the entire undivided Bengal in Pakistan, and alleged that the state’s past had been 'whitewashed' for political reasons.
'Today’s youth must know how efforts were being made to make the entire state a part of Pakistan. After Independence it was necessary to take forward the emotions with which Bengal was saved. But efforts were made so that the people of Bengal forget the date [June 20] and the emotions attached to it,' Modi said. The date June 20, 1947, holds historical significance: on that day, legislators from the Hindu-majority districts of undivided Bengal voted in favour of Partition and for joining the Indian Union in the Bengal legislative assembly, a move that eventually led to the creation of West Bengal.
Modi credited Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee for spearheading the movement against proposals to include the whole of Bengal in Pakistan. He accused the Congress of bowing 'before conspiratorial forces' during Partition and later trying to erase the history and significance of 'Paschimbanga Divas'. 'When efforts were being made to make the whole of Bengal a part of Pakistan, Congress had bowed before conspiratorial forces. It was then that Syama Prasad Mookerjee raised his voice against it… When there was a conspiracy to separate the whole of Bengal from India, a separate West Bengal was created to thwart those designs,' the Prime Minister asserted.
This was the first time a state government in West Bengal officially observed June 20 as West Bengal Day. In 2023, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed a resolution to observe Bengali New Year’s Day (Poila Baisakh) as the state’s foundation day on April 15. That same year, former chief minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to then Governor CV Ananda Bose, urging him not to hold an event at the governor’s house on June 20. Banerjee had argued that the state was formed through the Radcliffe Award, not on any particular day. 'We in West Bengal...have seen the Partition as a result of unleashing of communal forces that could not be resisted at that point of time. The state was not founded on any particular day, least of all on any 20th of June,' she wrote.
Incumbent chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, however, welcomed the BJP-led state government’s decision to observe June 20 as West Bengal Day. In a post on X, Adhikari said, 'After several long decades, for the first time, our nationalist government, inspired by the great ideals of Bharat Kesari Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, is officially observing ‘West Bengal Day’…' Modi, during his speech, sought to draw a direct link between the BJP coming to power in the state and the original vision behind West Bengal’s creation. 'This time, ‘Paschimbanga Divas’ is even more special. The dream that was envisioned for a bright future of Bengal after Independence, today we are witnessing it turn into reality,' he said.
The Prime Minister’s remarks were met with sharp criticism from both the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Congress leader Soumya Aich Roy accused Modi of trying to 'fool the people of Bengal by giving a distorted history,' adding that 'the predecessors of the BJP had helped the British. His propaganda won’t work in Bengal.' TMC leader Kunal Ghosh also rejected Modi’s narrative, stating, 'There is no fixed foundation day for West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee consulted historians and educationists, who suggested Poila Baisakh as the state day. The BJP is now politicising the issue.'
Beyond the political rhetoric, Modi’s visit also included the launch of several development projects. He laid the foundation stone for multiple initiatives and released the 23rd instalment of the PM-Kisan scheme, worth ₹18,880 crore, benefiting millions of farmers across the country. The Prime Minister said the 'double-engine government' (a reference to both the BJP-led central government and the state government in West Bengal) had begun working at 'superfast speed' to put West Bengal on a path of recovery and development. 'Decisions are being taken at lightning speed and work for stalled projects has restarted. It is in this direction that today, foundation stones have been laid and inauguration done of projects worth thousands of crores of rupees,' Modi said.
In a notable gesture, Modi also wrote a four-page letter to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, assuring the state of full central support. The Prime Minister urged the West Bengal government to set short, medium, and long-term targets, such as what will be achieved in the next few years, the next decade, and beyond. 'This way, we will get a realistic assessment of the ground covered and at the same time it will strengthen the collective efforts of 140 crore Indians to build a Viksit Bharat by 2027,' Modi wrote.
The historical context of June 20, 1947, is crucial to understanding the current political dynamics in West Bengal. On that day, the Bengal Legislative Assembly voted on the Partition of Bengal. The Hindu-majority districts voted in favour of joining India, while the Muslim-majority districts voted for joining Pakistan. This decision led to the creation of West Bengal as a separate state within India. Modi’s emphasis on this date is seen as an attempt to claim the legacy of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who was a key figure in the Hindu nationalist movement and the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the precursor to the BJP.
The TMC, which has ruled West Bengal for over a decade, has traditionally observed Poila Baisakh (April 15) as the state’s foundation day, a date that marks the Bengali New Year and is culturally significant for Bengalis. The BJP’s push to instead observe June 20 underscores the party’s efforts to reshape the state’s political identity around the themes of Partition and nationalism. The party argues that West Bengal was literally saved from being part of Pakistan thanks to Mookerjee’s efforts, and that this history should be formally recognised.
Modi’s visit also highlighted the BJP’s growing influence in West Bengal, a state where the party has traditionally been weak but has made significant electoral gains in recent years. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 18 of the 42 parliamentary seats in the state, up from zero in 2009. The party now governs the state through Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who defected from the TMC in 2021. The 'double-engine government' slogan is used by the BJP to convey that when the same party is in power at both the centre and state, development is faster and more efficient.
The PM-Kisan scheme, which provides an annual financial benefit of ₹6,000 to small and marginal farmers, is a flagship welfare programme of the Modi government. The 23rd instalment released on Saturday will benefit over 9.5 crore farmers nationwide, including those in West Bengal. Modi urged state governments to ensure that all eligible farmers receive the benefit, and he specifically called on the West Bengal government to expedite the process of enrolling remaining farmers.
In his letter to Adhikari, Modi also outlined a vision for West Bengal’s development over the next few years, focusing on infrastructure, digital connectivity, and industrial growth. He mentioned that the centre would expedite approvals for key projects, including the expansion of highways, railways, and inland waterways in the state. Modi specifically highlighted the potential of the Haldia port and the proposed logistics hub at Dankuni as engines of economic growth for eastern India.
The Congress’s response to Modi’s remarks reflects the party’s long-standing critique of the BJP’s narrative on Partition. The Congress has historically been accused by the BJP of failing to prevent the Partition of India and of not doing enough to protect Hindus in East Pakistan. By invoking Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Modi is tapping into a vein of Hindu nationalist sentiment that holds the Congress responsible for the suffering caused by Partition. The TMC, on the other hand, is wary of the BJP’s efforts to appropriate Bengali identity. Mamata Banerjee has often positioned herself as the guardian of Bengali culture and regional pride against what she calls the 'saffronisation' of history.
As West Bengal marks its first official observance of 'Paschimbanga Divas' on June 20, the political battle over the state’s past and future is likely to intensify. For Modi and the BJP, the day is an opportunity to cement their narrative of a 'broken Bengal' being restored to its rightful path. For the opposition, it is a distortion of history and a political ploy. In the coming years, the commemoration of June 20 could become a flashpoint in West Bengal’s already charged political landscape.
Source: MSN News