Bengal makes singing of State song mandatory at govt events

Kolkata: West Bengal government on Sunday issued a notification making singing of the 'State Song' mandatory in all state government programmes from the New Year.

In the notification issued by the outgoing state chief secretary HK Dwivedi, it has also been said that all state government offices will have to organise Statehood Day every year on the occasion of Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year’s Day).

As per the notification, the duration of the song mandatorily to be sung or tuned before any state government programme should be of a duration of one minute and 59 seconds. However, any of the state government programmes will end with the National Song being sung or tuned. As per the notification, everyone present on the occasion will have to be in the standing position while the song is being sung or tuned. On September 6 this year, a resolution was passed on the floor of the West Bengal assembly to declare Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year’s Day) as the Statehood Day for West Bengal.

At the same time, it was also decided that the famous song Banglar Mati, Banglar Jol (Bengal’s soil, Bengal’s water) penned by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore will be the State Song, on the lines of the National Song. However, BJP had been opposing declaring Poila Boishakh (Bengali New Year’s Day) as the Statehood Day for West Bengal.

“There is no scientific justification for declaring Poila Boishakh as the Statehood Day. So the fate of the resolution will be the same as similar resolutions moved by the state government on issues like change of state name or formation of legislative council or the one relating to replacement of the Governor with the chief minister as the chancellors of state universities,” the leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari said then.