The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee had recently sent a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting to declare January 23^rd as a national holiday to mark the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

In addition to this, Banerjee has also urged the PM in her letter to take appropriate and decisive steps to find out what happened to Netaji and declare it in public domain in the larger interest of the nation. The letter described how people celebrate the birth anniversary of Netaji nationwide with ‘dignity’ and ‘reverence’ every year which is why it should be declared a national holiday to pay respect to the freedom fighter.

The request is not new, as Banerjee had been requesting the Central government for a long time regarding the same issue but failed to receive any response so far. She describes Netaji as a national leader and one of the ‘Greatest sons of Bengal’ who emerged as a national icon during India’s freedom movement against the Britishers. She mentioned that January 23, 2022, marks the 125^th birth anniversary of Netaji and would be the perfect occasion to give him the appropriate recognition and respect he deserves as an ‘epitome of leadership, courage, unity, and love for his motherland.’

Apart from this, Banerjee, in the letter had also expressed her views on the disappearance of the national leader and the mystery surrounding his death. She also added in her letter that people, especially the people of Bengal, deserve to know what really happened to Netaji. Hence, she demands the Central government to take decisive steps in solving the mystery behind his disappearance and unraveling the truth.

She concluded by summarizing her two important requests of declaring January 23^rd as a national holiday and finding out what happened with Netaji surrounding the mystery of his disappearance in 1945.