Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday paid tribute to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay on his birth anniversary at the author’s College Street house, where he had been denied entry last year by the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee government.
“At that time, I was the leader of the Opposition. I had come to attend a BJP programme, but I was not allowed to enter. The people have delivered their verdict (in this year’s elections). Chirodin kaharo saman nahi jai (No one’s fortunes remain the same forever). As you sow, so shall you reap,” the chief minister said after paying tribute and taking part in an event organised at Bankim Chatterjee Street.
The BJP had organised a rally on November 7 last year to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, the national song penned by Chattopadhyay in 1875. Suvendu, then the leader of the Opposition, led the march from Thanthania Kalibari to the author’s College Street house.
However, the house was kept locked, and a portion of the road leading to it had allegedly been dug up to prevent the current chief minister from reaching the site.
A source said Suvendu recalled last year’s incident while paying tribute to the legendary author.
In the evening, the chief minister also referred to last year’s episode while addressing an event organised by the RSS-influenced Citizen Empowerment Forum at Rabindra Sadan.
“When I visited the place last year, a large lock had been put on the gate with the help of the local councillor. This is the first time the state government has celebrated the birth anniversary of the great author and scholar Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Besides College Street, we have also celebrated the occasion at his Kathalpara house in Naihati of North 24-Parganas,” he said.
After the BJP came to power, the College Street house, presently known as Bankim Smriti Pathagar, a library, was repaired and renovated.
Suvendu said the previous government had neglected the author’s legacy because of its focus on appeasement and corruption. “The previous government’s agenda was appeasement, corruption, dynastic politics, and holding Bengal back. Therefore, it did not undertake works related to nationalism or honour polymaths like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore. Now a nationalist government has come to power, and we will complete those tasks,” the chief minister said, adding that the government had announced in the state budget the establishment of a grand Vande Mataram Museum to celebrate the song’s 150th anniversary.
The first BJP government extensively celebrated the birth anniversary of the
author of Vande Mataram across the state. A programme was also organised at the Bengal Assembly. Most BJP offices paid tribute to the novelist, while senior party leaders used their social media handles to honour him.
Since last year, the BJP has been promoting Vande Mataram across the country as part of the celebrations marking its 150th anniversary. Earlier, only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram were generally sung as the national song. However, the Union home ministry later made it mandatory to sing all six stanzas of Vande Mataram at official state events.
The BJP alleges that the Congress had earlier truncated the song by omitting verses with overt religious references to appease certain communities during the freedom struggle. The BJP welcomed the Centre’s decision, and all six stanzas are now mandatory at state programmes.