Mamata Banerjee demands 4 capitals on rotation basis, says will celebrate Netaji's birthday as 'Desh Nayak Diwas'

New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday (January 23, 2021) demanded that India should have ''four capitals on rotation basis.'' The CM said this while addressing a rally organized to pay homage to 'Netaji' Subhas Chandra Bose on his 125th birth anniversary.

Addressing a huge gathering of TMC supporters, Banerjee said, "India must have four rotating capitals," as per news agency PTI.

India should have four capitals on rotation basis: Mamata — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 23, 2021

She also declared that Netaji's birthday will be celebrated as 'Desh Nayak Diwas'. She informed that this year's Republic Day Parade in Kolkata will be dedicated to freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. "This year's Republic Day parade in Kolkata will be dedicated to Netaji. A siren will be sounded today at 12.15 PM. We urge everyone to blow shankh (conch) at home. Centre must also declare January 23 as a National Holiday," she wrote in a series of tweets.

"We are celebrating this day as #DeshNayakDibas. GoWB has also set up a committee to conduct year-long celebrations till January 23, 2022," Banerjee tweeted.

Banerjee's ''Desh Nayak Diwas'' remarks come in the midst of BJP celebrating Netaji's birth anniversary as ''Parakram Diwas.''

The TMC chief earlier kicked off large scale march to celebrate Netaji's birth anniversary. Addressing an event at the Netaji Bhavan here on his 125th birth anniversary, Banerjee attacked the Centre for abolishing the Planning Commission and setting up NITI Aayog in its place. "Why the national Planning Commission, which was conceptualised by Netaji in independent India, was dissolved?"

She further asked why her demand for declaring Netaji's birthday as a National holiday was not met by the Centre."Why the demand for a holiday on Netaji's birthday by our government not yet met?"

These grand celebrations by both TMC and BJP on Netaji's birthday come ahead of West Bengal assembly elections scheduled to be held in the coming months.