Now Reading: West Bengal strips BJP MP Ananta Maharaj of Banga Bibhushan
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West Bengal strips BJP MP Ananta Maharaj of Banga Bibhushan
The West Bengal government revoked the Banga Bibhushan award from BJP Rajya Sabha MP Nagendra Ray, known as Ananta Maharaj, on 13 August. The order said retaining the state's highest civilian honour…
The Story in Brief
The West Bengal government revoked the Banga Bibhushan award from BJP Rajya Sabha MP Nagendra Ray, known as Ananta Maharaj, on 13 August. The order said retaining the state's highest civilian honour was 'inconsistent with its dignity, prestige and purpose'. The move follows Ray's remarks calling Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose a 'war criminal' and questioning his role in the Azad Hind Fauj.
Ray had been awarded the Banga Bibhushan in February this year by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The government also directed the deletion of his name from official records. Since the remarks, six FIRs have been registered and one person arrested, while 108 social media posts have been taken down.
The Indian Opinion
This case risks being reduced to a political blame game: the BJP cries vendetta, the Trinamool Congress claims patriotism. Yet the facts are straightforward. An elected MP made unsubstantiated, offensive statements about a national icon. The government revoked a state honour it had given. The real test will be whether the same standard is applied to all future remarks about Bose, regardless of party affiliation. That will show if principle or politics drives the action.
Sources (2): livemint.com, timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
