The West Bengal administration has denied permission to hold Rabindra Jayanti celebrations at multiple locations in the city, the Trinamool Congress has alleged. The party alleged on Friday that the administration refused applications from non-political organisations for three different venues.
“Bengal administration denies permission to hold Rabindra Jayanti celebrations,” the TMC wrote on X. “Yes, you read that right, this is the new Bengal. This is the great ‘poriborton’.”
Suvendu Adhikari to take oath on Rabindra Jayanti
The standoff occurs as the state undergoes a transition of power. The BJP won 208 of the 294 seats in the assembly elections, ending 15 years of TMC governance. Union home minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting in Kolkata on Friday where Suvendu Adhikari was elected the leader of the BJP legislature party. Following the meeting, Adhikari reached Lok Bhavan to stake his claim to form the government.
Adhikari is set to take the oath as chief minister on Saturday at the Brigade Parade Ground. The ceremony coincides with the 165th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, scheduled for May 9.
The TMC criticised the BJP’s decision, calling it an attack on Bengal’s cultural identity. The party announced it would instead hold its own celebrations in the area adjoining the residence of TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee.
Rabindra Jayanti is traditionally celebrated with Rabindra Sangeet, poetry recitations, and cultural programmes, especially at institutions like Visva-Bharati University.
“Permissions were sought for three different locations by non-political organisations, all denied,” the party said, adding that the BJP cannot “rip out” Tagore from the state’s “heart and soul.”
“BJP, mark our words, you cannot rip out Kobiguru Rabindranath Tagore from our heart & soul,” the TMC warned.
This comes two days after Mamata Banerjee said she would not resign, claiming the election results did not reflect the “true public mandate.” “Let them dismiss me, let them impose President’s rule,” she claimed while declaring the results as a “black day.”
The governor dissolved the Assembly on May 7.
Who was Rabindranath Tagore?
Rabindranath Tagore was a poet, writer, philosopher, and Nobel laureate who reshaped modern Bengali literature and music. Born in 1861, he became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his work, Gitanjali.
His writings explored themes of humanism, nature, spirituality, and freedom, and his songs, known as Rabindra Sangeet, remain central to Bengal’s cultural identity. Tagore also founded Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan.
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