Kolkata, Aug 8 : Amid protests over alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday referred to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and wished that the country flourished without the “terror of language”.
She also hoped that people would wake up in an India where “Rabindranath’s language, Bengali, receives respect, dignity, and the love of all citizens”.
“I offer my reverence at the feet of the world poet Rabindranath Tagore. He resides in our hearts in every living moment. He is the poet of our soul, and I invoke him today from the depths of my heart. He is our guardian and our guiding light,” Banerjee posted on X.
Banerjee made her comments on a day that marks Tagore’s 84th death anniversary, which, according to the Bengali calendar, falls on the 22nd day of Shravan.
“Every day is a day of remembrance in his memory. We remember the poet and celebrate him throughout the year and day and night.”
“May that nation awaken where Rabindranath’s language, Bengali, receives respect, dignity, and the love of all citizens. May that nation flourish where there is no terror of language,” the chief minister said.
Banerjee mentioned that the state government had on Thursday organised a programme in Jhargram district, remembering Tagore.
“Yesterday, we had a government programme in Jhargram. There, we had the opportunity to pay tribute to many scholars. We bowed to the world poet on that occasion. Before that programme, we also paid tribute to him publicly on social media,” she added. (PTI)
