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TMC celebrating ‘Khela Hobe divas’, BJP counters with save Bengal day
During the Khela Hobe Divas celebrations, Bengal sports and youth affairs department is handing out more than 100,000 footballs to various sporting clubs and organising football tournaments throughout the state.
The Trinamool Congress is celebrating Khela Hobe Divas (Game on day) on Monday across West Bengal and a few other states including Tripura, following a call on July 21 by party chief and chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s to mark August 16 as Khela Hobe Divas to promote sports.
‘Kela Hobe’ was used as a rallying call by the TMC in the recently held assembly elections in the state. Coined by a TMC youth leader, the slogan became immensely popular and was used repeatedly by Banerjee during the campaigning while challenging the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
During the Khela Hobe Divas celebrations, Bengal sports and youth affairs department is handing out more than 100,000 footballs to various sporting clubs and organising football tournaments throughout the state.
The BJP, however, plans to counter the TMC with ‘Paschim Banga Bachao Divas’, which translates to Save West Bengal Day. Top leaders of the BJP’s state unit, including the party’s president in West Bengal Dilip Ghosh, and the leader of Opposition in the state legislative assembly Suvendu Adhikari, will hold demonstrations in central Kolkata against post poll violence that allegedly lead to deaths of several BJP workers.
“In our childhood, we used to play football with either pomelo (fruit) or a plastic ball. But now sports have a different connotation. It is all politics, hatred and [a] game is going on for cut money [a byword for illegal commission] and syndicate. We want sports and games to return to keep an individual healthy and fit,” said Dilip Ghosh.
The BJP has objected to the choice of date for Khela Hobe Divas, saying it was a reminder to Muslim League’s Direct Action Day, observed on August 16, 1946, when a large number of people were killed in communal violence during protests. Last week, Suvendu Adhikari led a delegation of Hindu religious leaders to request for governor Jagdeep Dhankhar’s intervention to change the date for the TMC programme.
The TMC however brushed the objections aside claiming that Bengal was saved in 2011 when Mamata Banerjee first came to power.
“West Bengal was saved in 2011 when the TMC came to power. In 2024, the TMC will save India by ousting the BJP government at the centre,” said Kunal Ghosh, TMC spokesperson.
