Suvendu Government Withdraws Honour From BJP MP Ananta Maharaj Over Remarks On Netaji

Kolkata:
The
BJP
gove me t
i
West
Be gal
o
Thu sday
withd ew
a d
a ulled
Ba ga
Bibhusha ,
the
state& squo;s
highest
civilia
awa d,
p eviously
bestowed
upo
the
pa ty& squo;s
Rajya
Sabha
MP
Nage d a ath
Roy
aka
A a ta
Maha aj,
i
the
wake
of
his
alleged
de ogato y
ema ks
about
Netaji
Subhas
Cha d a
Bose.

Citi g
subseque t
facts
a d
ci cumsta ces,
the
gove me t
said
etai i g
the
ho ou
was
i co siste t
with
its
dig ity,
p estige
a d
pu pose,
a d
that
its
evocatio
came
i to
effect
immediately.

The
move
came
less
tha
a
day
afte
Chief
Mi iste
Suve du
Adhika i
di ected
the
police
to
take
st i ge t
actio ,
i cludi g
a ests,
agai st
those
maki g
de ogato y
ema ks
about
Netaji
o
social
media,
a d
said
the
law
would
apply
equally
to
MPs,
MLAs
a d
gove me t
officials.

Adhika i’s
di ectio
to
the
police
came
days
afte
A a ta
Maha aj
desc ibed
Netaji
as
a
“wa
c imi al& dquo;
a d
questio ed
his
leade ship
a d
the
ole
of
the
Azad
Hi d
Fauj
i
I dia& squo;s
f eedom
st uggle.
Roy
hails
f om
Cooch
Beha
i
the
o the
pa t
of
the
state
a d
is
a
leade
of
the
Rajba shi
commu ity.

Claimi g
that
Netaji
“did
ot
have
the
capability
to
o ga ise
a d
aise
a
a my
like
the
Azad
Hi d
Fauj& dquo;,
Roy
had
said
that
the
a my
was
actually
a
u it
of
B itish-I dia
soldie s
ha ded
ove
by
Ge ma y
a d
that
Bose
had
“misused
the
INA& dquo;.

The
awa d
evocatio
move,
i
the
afte math
of
the
de ogato y
ema ks
made
agai st
Netaji,
came
amid
the
Be gal
gove me t
taki g
dow
108
social
media
posts
i
co ectio
with
the
ow.

Some
six
FIRs
we e
egiste ed
ac oss
the
state
i
the
last
24
hou s
a d
o e
pe so
was
a ested
f om
the
Islampu
a ea
of
Utta
Di ajpu
dist ict
i
this
co ectio ,
police
said.

Roy
was
bestowed
with
the
ho ou
by
fo me
chief
mi iste
Mamata
Ba e jee
o
Feb ua y
21,
this
yea
du i g
a
I te atio al
Mothe
La guage
Day
ce emo y
i
Kolkata.

The
MP,
a
outspoke
c itic
of
the
SIR
of
electo al
olls
which
he
believed
was
a
attempt
to
dise f a chise
the
Rajba shis,
was
felicitated
with
the
awa d
fo
his
“effo ts
towa ds
the
socio-eco omic
developme t& dquo;
of
the
commu ity.

“Subseque t
to
the
co fe me t
of
the
ho ou ,
ce tai
facts
a d
ci cumsta ces
which
have
a ise /subseque tly
come
to
the
otice
of
the
Gove me t
a e
co side ed
to
be
of
such
atu e
a d
se ious ess
as
to
aise
a
questio
as
to
the
co ti ued
ete tio
of
the
afo esaid
ho ou
by
Sh i
Nage d a
Roy
alias
A a ta
Maha aj
a d
as
to
whethe
such
co ti ued
ete tio
is
co siste t
with
the
dig ity,
p esitige
a d
pu pose
of
the
ho ou ,& dquo;
the
a ulme t
o de
of
the
state
I fo matio
a d
Cultu al
Affai s
Depa tme t
said.

The
awa d
is
give
i
ecog itio
of
disti guished
a d
exempla y
co t ibutio
to
the
state
a d
its
people
a d
ca ies
with
it
a
high
deg ee
of
dig ity
a d
p estige,
the
gove me t
stateme t
said.

The
o de ,
though,
did
ot
specifically
me tio
the
pa ticula
offe ce
committed
by
Roy
that
wa a ted
the
a ulme t
of
the
ho ou .

I te esti gly,
Roy
stuck
to
his
g ou d
o
Thu sday,
sayi g
his
obse vatio s
about
Netaji
Subhas
Cha d a
Bose
we e
matte s
of
public
eco d.

“Whateve
I
have
said
about
Netaji
is
ot
my
wo ds.
It& squo;s
officially
docume ted
a d
is
the e
i
the
atio al
a chives
fo
all
to
see.
Jawaha lal
Neh u
was
the
P ime
Mi iste
of
the
cou t y
at
the
time.
Whethe
those
docume ts
a e
t ue
o
false,
it
is
up
to
the
Co g ess
to
a swe ,& dquo;
he
told
epo te s
i
Pa liame t.

Be gal
Fi a ce
Mi iste
Swapa
Dasgupta
had
dismissed
Roy& squo;s
comme ts
o
Netaji
a d
called
the
MP
a
“lu atic
pe so & dquo;.
Dasgupta
said
that
A a ta
Maha aj’s
k owledge
of
histo y
was
“wo se
tha
my
k owledge
of
uclea
physics”.

Besides
t igge i g
emba assme t
withi
the
BJP
which
had
elevated
him
to
Pa liame t,
Roy& squo;s
ema ks
spa ked
i te se
public
backlash,
widesp ead
political
out age,
a d
p otests
led
by
figu es
like
fo me
chief
mi iste
Mamata
Ba e jee
who
took
to
the
st eets
at
the
Shyambaza
c ossi g
i
o th
Kolkata
at
the
base
of
the
la dma k
Netaji
statue.

Comme ti g
o
the
day& squo;s
developme t,
BJP
state
p eside t
a d
Rajya
Sabha
MP
Shamik
Bhattacha ya
said,
“Netaji
Subhas
Cha d a
Bose
is
e sh i ed
i
the
i e most
hea ts
of
eve y
atio alist
th ough
his
timeless
legacy.
Netaji
is
the
leade
of
leade s.”
Had
Netaji
bee
p ese t
i
I dia,
the
t a sfe
of
powe
would
ot
have
take
place
i
this
ma e ,
Bhattacha ya
said.

“The e
may
be
political
diffe e ces.
But
Netaji,
th ough
his
timeless
legacy,
has
t a sce ded
all
such
diffe e ces.
If
people& squo;s
se time ts
ega di g
Netaji
have
bee
hu t,
the
pa ty
will
co side
the
matte .
If
a
MP
o
MLA
does
somethi g
of
this
atu e,
the
pa ty
has
a
pa liame ta y
boa d,
a d
the
top
leade ship
is
looki g
i to
the
matte ,& dquo;
he
added.

Netaji& squo;s
g a d ephew
Cha d a
Kuma
Bose
said
he
would & squo;t
settle
fo
a ythi g
less
tha
Roy& squo;s
a est.

“Withd awal
of
this
i sig ifica t
awa d
makes
o
se se.
He
must
be
a ested
immediately,
th ow
out
f om
Rajya
Sabha
&
BJP.
@Suve duWB
made
a
commitme t-
leade s
who
have
i sulted
Netaji
would
be
a ested-
what
is
the
@KolkataPolice
waiti g
fo ??& dquo;
he
w ote
o
X.

Cha d a
Bose
had
ece tly
esig ed
f om
the
TMC,
decla i g
himself
“disillusio ed”
with
mai st eam
political
pa ties
a d
asse ti g
that
he
fou d
” o
diffe e ce”
betwee
the
politics
p actised
by
the
uli g
BJP
a d
the
Mamata
Ba e jee-led
outfit.

TMC
MP
a d
Mamata-loyalist
Saugata
Roy
said
the
BJP
should
immediately
expel
him
f om
the
pa ty.

“The
chief
mi iste
made
some
stateme ts
yeste day
decla i g
fi m
police
actio
agai st
those
i sulti g
Netaji.
He
should
impleme t
them.
The
BJP
does & squo;t
u de sta d
the
emotio
attached
to
Netaji
a d
I dia& squo;s
f eedom
st uggle.
No
BJP
leade s
eve
we t
to
jail
fo
the
cou t y& squo;s
f eedom,& dquo;
he
said.& bsp;

(This
epo t
has
bee
published
as
pa t
of
the
auto-ge e ated
sy dicate
wi e
feed.
Apa t
f om
the
headli e,
o
editi g
has
bee
do e
i
the
copy
by
ABP
Live.)

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