Kolkata, 14 August (H.S.): West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday announced that August 16 would henceforth be observed as ‘Ayushman Divas’ in the state, replacing the ‘Khela Hobe Divas’ celebrated by the erstwhile Trinamool Congress-led government. He said the date, associated with the Great Calcutta Killings of 1946 and the tragedy of Partition, should be remembered through programmes focused on history and public welfare rather than sporting events.

Adhikari said the main Ayushman Divas programme would be held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium at 3 pm on Saturday. Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel will attend the event, where distribution of Ayushman Bharat health cards will begin.

He said people who are not covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme would also be provided similar healthcare benefits under the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima scheme. According to Adhikari, the state government aims to ensure healthcare protection for nearly 11 crore people in West Bengal.

Addressing a ‘Bibhajan Bibhishika Smriti Diwas’ programme at Moulali, Adhikari said August 16, 1946, witnessed large-scale violence in Kolkata following the call for Direct Action, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Hindus. He said it was inappropriate to treat such a day as an occasion for celebration.

He said his government had decided to discontinue ‘Khela Hobe Divas’ and observe August 16 as ‘Ayushman Divas’. Adhikari said the purpose of ‘Bibhajan Bibhishika Smriti Diwas’ was not celebration but to remember history and remain vigilant for the future.

The Chief Minister also accused previous governments of concealing what he described as the true history behind the formation of West Bengal. Referring to the Bengal Legislative Assembly vote of June 20, 1947, he said his government had restored June 20 as West Bengal Day. Earlier, Poila Baisakh was observed as West Bengal Day.

Adhikari also highlighted the role of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and the Hindu Mahasabha in raising the demand for a separate homeland for Bengali Hindus. He said several initiatives were being undertaken to commemorate Mookerjee’s 125th birth anniversary, including incorporating his contribution in school textbooks, installing statues and publishing material on his life and work.

He appealed to people not to forget the Great Calcutta Killings of 1946 and the violence in Noakhali. He also called for a large government statue of Gopal Mukherjee to be installed so that the younger generation could learn about his role in helping people during the violence.

Adhikari also made allegations regarding the recent protest at Dorina Crossing. He claimed that some fundamentalist and Jamaat-linked elements had joined the demonstration and that police personnel and journalists were assaulted.

He also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tarakeswar and thanked him for attending the programme despite inclement weather. Adhikari said the state government had distributed 70 lakh Tricolour flags under the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign.

He urged people to attend the government programme at Red Road at 9.30 am on Saturday and pay floral tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. He also announced that Raksha Bandhan programmes would be organised at around 4,000 locations across West Bengal, calling for the festival to be associated with patriotism and unity.

Meanwhile, programmes commemorating the Partition were organised at several places across Kolkata, including New Town and Garia. A foundation stone was also laid on the Sealdah station premises for a proposed memorial dedicated to the victims of Partition.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh