Kolkata, Oct. 5 -- State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said on Monday that his state government will bring a Bill seeking to rename the state Paschim Banga while rejecting the earlier proposal to call it "Bangla".
"We will bring a Bill in the very first Session so that the name of the state remains connected with its history and retains its identity. The name of the state will be Paschim Banga," Bhattacharya said at a Press conference at the BJP's Salt Lake office.
"It will be neither West Bengal nor merely Bangla. Bengal was divided, and one part went away. What remains is West Bengal. Paschim Banga is the name that reflects that identity. The state has its own history, its own identity and its own political and cultural heritage. The name should remain connected with that history," Bhattacharya added.
Bhattacharya also made the party's position clear, saying it would not tolerate any illegal or anti-social activities by anyone associated with the BJP. Raising his voice against syndicate and extortion politics, Bhattacharya said that if any BJP worker or leader is found involved in anti-social activities, the party will take organisational action against them.
The party has already decided to expel individuals found involved in such activities, he added. He also reiterated that the syndicate culture practised during the TMC regime, particularly the 75-25 system of sharing, would not be repeated.
He also outlined details of the nationwide 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' and 'Seva Jyoti Yatra' being organised to mark PM Modi's completion of 25 years in public life and in the highest positions of administration. Speaking about political violence in West Bengal, he said the prolonged violence and atrocities against BJP workers had changed under the new government.
He said people from different political backgrounds were joining the BJP, but there would be no compromise with the party's core ideology, political culture and organisational discipline.
The 'Seva Jyoti Yatra' will be held across the country on October 7. Special programmes will be organised at the headquarters of all 23 districts in West Bengal.
Speeches by National President Nitin Navin and Prime Minister Modi will be broadcast on giant screens, Bhattacharya said. He also defended former TMC Rajya Sabha member Koel Mallick's induction into the BJP and nomination to the Upper House, saying the move was needed to fulfil the party's promises. While reaffirming his opposition to "Trinamool-isation" of the BJP, he said the party needs numbers in Parliament to pass Bills and deliver on its commitments.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.