Now Reading: West Bengal govt cancels BJP MP’s Banga Bibhushan over Netaji remark
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West Bengal govt cancels BJP MP’s Banga Bibhushan over Netaji remark
The West Bengal government revoked the Banga Bibhushan, the state's highest civilian award, from BJP Rajya Sabha MP Nagendranath Roy, also known as Ananta Maharaj, on Thursday. The decision came a day…
The Story in Brief
The West Bengal government revoked the Banga Bibhushan, the state's highest civilian award, from BJP Rajya Sabha MP Nagendranath Roy, also known as Ananta Maharaj, on Thursday. The decision came a day after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari ordered police to arrest those making derogatory remarks about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Roy had described Netaji as a "war criminal" and questioned the role of the Azad Hind Fauj in the freedom struggle.
The annulment order, issued by the state information and cultural affairs department, said the continued retention of the honour was "inconsistent with its dignity, prestige and purpose". Roy was awarded the prize on February 21 by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee for his socio-economic work among the Rajbanshi community. The MP has defended his remarks, saying they are based on official documents in the national archives. Separately, a statue of Netaji in Kolkata was found vandalised on Thursday, hours after the chief minister's warning, triggering protests.
The Indian Opinion
The Suvendu Adhikari government moved fast to strip Ananta Maharaj of his award, but the MP's claim that his remarks are backed by archival documents is conveniently ignored by those demanding his arrest. The real test is whether the same standard will apply to all, or only to political opponents. Did the government check the records before cancelling the honour, or was it pure optics?
Sources (4): rediff.com, hindustantimes.com, news.abplive.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 4 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 4 sources.
