India should have four capitals including Kolkata: Mamata on Netaji's 125th birth anniversary
Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said Kolkata should be revived as the capital of the country, peddling the sentiment of provincialism on the occasion of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 125th birth anniversary.
Banerjee said the country should have four capitals including Kolkata, pitching on decentralisation of power with more than a couple of months to go for the state polls.
Addressing a massive crowd at the end of her eight-km rally, Banerjee said, "There should be four capitals in the country. One of those should be Kolkata because most of the nationalistic movements took place in Bengal and Bihar. The parliamentary sessions must take place in all four capitals in turn."
Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, remained the national capital from 1772 to 1911.
Banerjee, who heads the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, began her rally at 12:30 pm from Shyambazar Five Point Crossing and ended at Red Road near downtown of the city.
Turning the rally for Netaji into a complete political one, the Trinamool chief attacked the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for allegedly violating the federal structure of the country.
"Netaji had constituted the Planning Commission. I (as a CM) used to visit the Planning Commission with my officers. But now it has been abolished and formed Niti Aayog. There is no more room for Centre-State talks. It is a complete destruction of the federal structure," she said.
Sharing the dias with the family members of Netaji, Banerjee once again demanded a national holiday on this day from the central government, which is run by Trinamool's arch-rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Criticising the Centre's declaration of Jan 23 as "Parakram Diwas", Banerjee felt "Sugata Bose, Sumantra Bose (Netaji's family members)" should have at least been consulted.
"Forget me, the central government should have at least consulted with Sugata, Sumantra (family members of Netaji) before making this day 'Parakram Diwas'," she said.
The CM, who has referred to the day as "Desh Nayak Dibas", has also announced a state university in the name of Netaji and a monument titled Azad Hind Fauj, in Rajarhat.
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