New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) In an effort to calm the storm he created with unfounded statements against Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Nagendra Ray – who prefers being called ‘Ananta Maharaj’, claiming to be a direct descendent of the erstwhile rulers of Cooch Behar and that “his people” revere him as such – issued a statement that if his “unintended” words vilifying the national hero had hurt anyone’s sentiments, he was sorry.
It was the BJP Rajya Sabha MP’s attempt to contain the immediate backlash that followed his utterances – based on doubtful, and even fake documents – that triggered the recorded statement on social media, and not a direct apology or retraction as such.
Ray recently claimed that Netaji had no role in India’s Independence struggle, and even accused Bose of misusing the Azad Hind Fauj.
The Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari-led West Bengal government on Thursday withdrew and annulled the ‘Banga Bibhushan’ award conferred on him this February by the earlier Trinamool government.
Banga Bibhushan, the highest civilian honour of the state, is among other awards recognising excellence or contribution for West Bengal, initiated by the then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee soon after she assumed office in 2011.
Meanwhile, the Cooch Behar district police has filed an FIR against the 68-year-old BJP MP on a complaint from a Forward Bloc supporter, and an investigation has been initiated, according to media reports.
Such developments could have forced him to issue a “regret” statement, say some. However, he has a penchant for making contentious remarks, mostly based on his own largely unfounded assumptions or dubious inputs.
Even before his Netaji statement, he claimed that his “Maharaj” status had earned him a seat in the “Rajsabha” when a media person pointed out during the just-concluded Winter Session of Parliament that his claim to royalty does not augur well at the temple of democracy.
He chose to believe that the Upper House of Parliament is meant for “kings and lords” even after over 75 years of Parliamentary democracy.
Being the leader of a faction of the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples’ Association (GCPA), Ray commands considerable following among a section of the Rajbongshis in north Bengal.
His is among organisations demanding a separate state of Greater Cooch Behar, which includes seven districts of north Bengal, including Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Malda, and Murshidabad, in addition to Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, and Dhubri in Assam.
Thus, the state’s principal political parties try to woo him for his influence among Rajbongshis in north Bengal. The community, whose population numbers over 33 lakh, constitute the largest SC group in the state.
The group claims marginalisation within Bengal’s political and cultural mainstream, saying that they are losing their ancestral land to infiltrators and illegal squatters.
The activists allege that between 1971 and 2011, the community’s share in North Bengal’s population has decreased from 80 per cent to just 30 per cent.
Many of these organisations want the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to determine illegal immigrants and their subsequent deportation. But these groups consider statehood a priority.
They also say that Cooch Behar’s inclusion into West Bengal was illegal and that the current position stands against the treaty signed in 1949 by their then king Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur with the Government of India.
A section of them support the BJP due to its stand on illegal infiltrators and squatters.
When the BJP nominated Ray to the Rajya Sabha in 2023, it was a calculated move to consolidate Rajbongshi support.
The Trinamool government bestowed him an award earlier this year for his contributions to the community’s welfare that was largely seen as a gesture to bridge the political gap.
However, now Ray’s outburst has come as an embarrassment for parties trying to woo him for political influence.
–IANS
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