Reactions over blazing of late CM's portrait

 

COOCH BEHAR, Jan. 2: Sharp reactions came from different quarters following burning of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy's portrait. The supporters of Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party (GCDP) had set fire to a portrait of Dr Roy at Dinhata Choupathi yesterday. Condemning the act, Chhatra Parishad supporters led by District Chhatra Parishad president Mr Rakesh Choudhury demonstrated at district magistrate's office today.

 

Coming down heavily on the act, the president of District Trinamul Congress Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh said the late leader who earned the title "Banglar Rupokar" was not instrumental in inclusion of Cooch Behar State into India or transforming it into a district of West Bengal. The GCDP supporters did a wrong by burning his portrait. It may dissociate them from the mainstream of politics and people. Mr Ghosh said the GCDP has every right to fight with the Central government over their demand for a separate state but they have no right to dishonour a leader like Dr Roy.

 

The Trinamul leader opined that the GCDP should apologise to the people of this state for their act. No sane person can support such wrongdoing. This was nothing but an example of immature political perception, he said.

 

President of Cooch Behar District Congress, Mr Shyamal Choudhury too condemned the burning of the portrait of the first chief minister of West Bengal. He termed the act as childish, result of ignorance and insult to the Bengali community as a whole. Only God can pardon them, he said.

 

Mr Choudhury said Dr Roy did a good job by pulling Cooch Behar into West Bengal after the princly state's merger with India. If it were included in Assam there too it would have to turn into a district. By blazing the portrait of a great leader like Dr Roy the GCDP stirred up a hornet's nest. The progress of West Bengal was possible only under his able guidance, the Congress leader said. The GCDP men are ignorant of the history and so they did the mistake of dishonouring the late leader, he opined.

 

Mr Choudhury said it is impossible to make Cooch Behar a C-category state though the GCDP men are demanding for it. If the merger was a wrong step why the Maharaja committed it? The Maharaja never said anything against the merger till his death, the Congress leader said.

 

It may be recalled that Greater Kamta United Forum, the umbrella organisation of GCDP, KPP and AKRASU, observed Black Day yesterday.   They burnt a portrait of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy at Choupathi in Dinhata amid slogans demanding proper implementation of the merger agreement that was reached between the then Maharaja of Cooch Behar and Government of India in 1949.

 

The general secretary of GKUF and also the president of GCDP, Mr Ashutosh Barma said that the erstwhile princely state of Cooch Behar was merged with India on 1 January in 1950. The then chief minister of West Bengal included Cooch Behar in West Bengal as a mere district, he alleged. It is Dr Roy who did the wrong and so the GCDP supporters staged protest against that act yesterday, he clarified. []

 

PHOTO : GCDP activists burn a portrait of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. In Dinhata on Tuesday.