West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly objected to the Governor's decision to celebrate 'Bengal Day' on June 20th, asserting that such a decision rests solely with the people of Bengal, not the Governor. In a fiery address, CM Mamata Banerjee questioned the double standards applied to West Bengal's naming, drawing parallels with Punjab in Pakistan and asking why "Bangla" cannot be the name for the Indian state when other states like Mumbai and Odisha have had their names changed.
She went on to question Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly, asking why, despite the name changes of cities and states like Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and Odisha (formerly Orissa), West Bengal's long-standing demand to be renamed "Bangla" has not been approved.
CM Mamata Banerjee declared, "We are not celebrating Bengal Day on June 20th, but I will not stop anyone from doing so."
Further expanding on her critique of the central government, the Chief Minister accused the Modi administration of altering the nation's history and educational curriculum. She alleged that the focus is solely on Modi's self-promotion, rather than on broader national interests. "The country's history, the syllabus of studies have been changed, only Modi promotes himself," she asserted, echoing a common criticism leveled by opposition parties.