The Trinamul Congress on Monday accused the leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, of trying to distort history after he said Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had been born at Sonarpur in South 24-Parganas.
While addressing a public rally of the BJP in Sonarpur on Sunday, Adhikari said Bose had been born in Sonarpur.
“You know for whom the soil of Sonarpur is famous? For Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. It is the birthplace of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. We feel pride. If we could have Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose physically, he would have become the first Indian Prime Minister,” Adhikari can be heard saying in a 23-second long video clip tweeted by Trinamul.
The video footage shared on Adhikari’s Facebook page also has the statement.
The statement can be heard around five minutes and 40 seconds into his speech.
Criticising Adhikari, the tweet by Trinamul read: “LoP @SuvenduWB’s brazen disregard for facts is appalling! Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birthplace is Cuttack, NOT Sonarpur. Mr. Adhikari’s ignorance is an insult to the iconic nationalist figure & reflects his agenda to distort history. We condemn such manipulative tactics!”
Asked to clarify Adhikari’s statement, Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar said that it might have been “a slip of tongue” and the Trinamul was unnecessarily trying to create an issue out of it. “We all know that Netaji was born in Odisha’s Cuttack,” he said.