A political controversy has erupted in West Bengal over recent remarks by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ananta Maharaj questioning Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s role in India’s freedom struggle, with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announcing in the Assembly that every MLA should establish a public service centre named after the iconic freedom fighter in their constituency.
Speaking in the state Assembly on Wednesday, Adhikari directed MLAs to set up ‘Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Seva Kendra’ centres to assist residents and undertake social welfare activities. The centres, according to the announcement, will operate under specified conditions and government regulations.
MLAs establishing the centres on their own initiative will have to use the prescribed name, ‘Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Seva Kendra’, and display a specified photograph of Netaji at a designated location inside the centre.
Adhikari said that once these conditions are fulfilled, the centres would be eligible for a monthly government grant of Rs 30,000 to support their functioning.
The announcement comes amid a growing political row over remarks attributed to Ananta Maharaj, the self-styled Maharaja of Cooch Behar, a prominent figure of the Greater Cooch Behar People's Association and a BJP Rajya Sabha member. He claimed that Netaji had played no role in India's freedom struggle and argued that the Partition of India and Pakistan could have been avoided had the governance of the country been handed to the Maharaja of Cooch Behar before Independence.
The remarks triggered sharp reactions across the state, with the former ruling party TMC strongly criticising the BJP leader. Party supporters staged protests, while former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Shyambazar crossing on Tuesday and garlanded Netaji’s statue in an apparent demonstration against the comments.
The controversy has also created an uncomfortable situation for the Bengal BJP, with the remarks drawing criticism and distancing from several quarters. Questions have also been raised over Ananta Maharaj’s comments regarding the contribution and military capabilities of the Azad Hind Fauj.
The political dispute has unfolded against the backdrop of renewed public debate over Netaji’s legacy, with rival parties seeking to position themselves as defenders of his historical contribution to India’s independence movement.
Adhikari’s Assembly announcement has consequently added a new dimension to the controversy. By directing MLAs to establish service centres bearing Netaji’s name and providing for financial assistance to operate them, the BJP leadership has sought to underline its own association with the legacy of the freedom fighter amid the ongoing political backlash.
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