Why Netaji has become important for BJP in Bengal?

By Navneet Mishra New Delhi, Jan 21 : Marking the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the BJP is engaged in connecting with the sentiments of the people of West Bengal. The programme will continue for the whole year. This comes ahead of the high-voltage West Bengal Assembly polls later this year.
The Modi government has set up a high-level committee to outline the programmes that will run throughout the year from January 23. The ruling Trinamool Congress plans to attack its arch rival BJP in the Bengal electoral battle.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says that the BJP has only become a ‘devotee of Netaji’ as the election draws near. The political battle in Bengal between the two parties has not left Bose’s legacy untouched.
But the BJP dismisses the talk of linking Bose’s birth anniversary with the election. West Bengal BJP state vice-president Ritesh Tiwari told IANS that people who questioned the BJP’s intention to celebrate Bose’s 125th birth anniversary were politically motivated.
So what is the BJP’s strategy behind celebrating Bose’s birth anniversary for the first time? Political analysts consider the West Bengal election to be the reason behind this. The popularity of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Bengal is not hidden from anyone. He is considered as the pride of Bengal. It is believed that through his birth anniversary, the BJP is trying to tell the people of Bengal that it is the protector of Bengali identity.
Ever since Mamata Banerjee started calling BJP leaders as outsiders, the saffron party has intensified its programmes eulogising Bengali icons. In December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had praised Rabindranath Tagore at Vishwa Bharati University.