Mamata Says BJP Disrespecting Netaji, Gandhi, Ambedkar; Attacks Centre

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the BJP and the central government, accusing them of insulting India’s national icons and attempting to distort the country’s history. Speaking at a public event in Kolkata’s Maidan on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Banerjee said the values and ideals of the freedom struggle were being deliberately undermined.

“There is a systematic attempt to distort India’s history,” Banerjee said, alleging that revered figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and Dr B. R. Ambedkar were being disrespected. “There is intolerance, distasteful remarks, and ungratefulness towards them and even towards language. Will Bengal accept this?” she asked, drawing loud applause from the crowd.

Invoking Netaji’s famous call of ‘Dilli Chalo’, the chief minister accused the Centre, using “Delhi” as a political reference, of conspiring against Bengal. She described the national capital as a “city of conspiracies” and claimed that repeated attempts were being made to weaken Bengal’s culture, language, and identity. “We will unite against them to protect our culture and language,” she said.

Banerjee also expressed strong resentment over the fact that Netaji’s birth anniversary has not been declared a national holiday, despite his immense contribution to India’s freedom movement. She accused the BJP of betraying the dreams of the country’s freedom fighters.

“From Netaji to Patel, those who dreamt of an independent India are seeing their dreams shattered today,” she said. “A fabricated version of history is being imposed, the Constitution is being humiliated, people’s rights are being taken away, and democracy is being stripped naked.”

The chief minister also took aim at the Election Commission over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. In a sharp remark, she said that if Netaji were alive today, he too would have been asked to prove his citizenship. She referred to the summoning of Netaji’s great-grandnephew, Chandra Kumar Bose, by the poll body as an example.

Banerjee further alleged that more than 110 people died during the SIR process, claiming the Election Commission and the central government must take responsibility for the deaths.

Earlier in the day, the chief minister renewed her demand for the immediate declassification of all files related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose by the central government. In a social media post, she reminded that her government had already declassified all Netaji-related files from the West Bengal state archives years ago.

“The mystery of Netaji’s disappearance remains unresolved even today,” Banerjee wrote. “We do not know what happened to him after 1945. It is a matter of deep sorrow. I once again appeal to the Government of India to declassify all remaining files related to Netaji.”

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