Even while remembering Vidyasagar, Mamata flags ‘harassment of Bengalis’ in BJP-ruled states

Kolkata, July 29 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday used the death anniversary of social reformer and educationist Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar to reiterate her stance against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states.

In a statement posted on her official X handle, Banerjee paid rich tribute to Vidyasagar, calling him Bengal’s pride and a guiding light in the fight for women’s rights and educational reform. Yet, she also used the occasion to sharpen her political message, drawing a link between Vidyasagar’s legacy and what she described as rising attacks on Bengali identity outside the state.

“Vidyasagar is our heritage, our pride. We can never forget his contributions to education in Bengal and India, as well as his struggle for the upliftment of women’s status. Much of what we are today is due to his contributions, starting from Barnaparichay. Today, when attacks on the Bengali language and Bengalis have begun across the country under BJP rule, the life, education, and philosophy of this great sage have become even more relevant,” Banerjee wrote.

She recalled how, during the 2019 Lok Sabha campaign, miscreants vandalised Vidyasagar’s statue at Vidyasagar College in Kolkata -- an incident she alleged was carried out by the very forces now “attacking Bengal and Bengalis.”

“We have restored that statue. We observed his bicentennial year across Bengal with reverence through various events,” Banerjee said.

Highlighting her government’s initiatives to preserve and honour Vidyasagar’s legacy, the Chief Minister listed several efforts -- the formation of the Birsingha Development Council in his birthplace, the renovation and beautification of heritage sites linked to his life, the revamp of the museum at his Badurbagan residence in Kolkata, and the development of Vidyasagar College as a heritage institution. She also mentioned an archive established in his name and financial grants provided to the Metropolitan Institution, founded by Vidyasagar himself.

Concluding her statement, Banerjee appealed to Bengalis to draw inspiration from Vidyasagar’s ideals and confront challenges with the same determination he had shown in his time.

“Let us educate ourselves through his teachings and walk the path with the same resolute and defiant spirit as that of this great Bengali icon,” she said.

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