PM Modi to inaugurate event to celebrate Netaji’s birth anniversary in Kolkata

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the main event to celebrate freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose’s 125th birth anniversary in Kolkata on January 23, Union culture minister Prahlad Patel said. The anniversary is being celebrated as Prakaram Diwas from this year. The event in Kolkata will feature a tableau and two other major events will be held in Cuttack (Odisha) and Haripura (Gujarat) as part of the celebrations.

“Different ministries will roll out different programmes throughout the year to celebrate the great freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose,” Union culture minister Prahlad Patel said. “[A] padyatra and cycle rallies will be organised in the honour of the freedom fighter.”

Patel said the railways will name a train after Bose and the education ministry has approved the setting up of five chairs at five universities in the freedom fighter’s memory. He added 200 young artists were working on a canvas to capture Bose’s life. The civil aviation ministry is also planning to have a few aircraft with Netaji’s image.

The culture ministry earlier on Tuesday announced Bose’s anniversary will now be celebrated as the Parakram Diwas. In a gazette notification, the ministry said the decision was taken to “honour and remember” Bose’s indomitable spirit and selfless service to the nation. “The government has decided to celebrate his birthday on 23 January every year as Parakram Diwas to inspire the people of this country, especially the youth to, act with fortitude in the face of adversity as Netaji [Bose] did.”

The government on January 8 set up a high-level committee led by Union home minister Amit Shah for the 125th birth anniversary celebrations.

Patel demised criticism that the government was planning the celebrations keeping in mind the assembly elections due in West Bengal later this summer.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping to wrest power in West Bengal after emerging as the second biggest party in the state in the 2019 national polls.