West Bengal Replaces 'Khela Hobey Divas' with 'Ayushman Divas' on August 16

Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday announced that August 16 will now be observed as Ayushman Divas.

NEW DELHI: Suvendu Adhikari-led new West Bengal government scrapped the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress's (TMC) politically symbolic August 16 "Khela Hobey Divas" and replaced it with "Ayushman Divas" in a tit-for-tat political move. Mamata Banerjee's government had declared August 16 as Khela Hobey Divas in 2021 following the TMC's assembly election victory. The day was officially promoted as a sports initiative aimed at encouraging young people through football tournaments and the distribution of sports equipment. However, the slogan was an apparent dig as Didi had led her last term campaign with "Khela Hobey" slogan.

Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday announced that August 16 will now be observed as Ayushman Divas, celebrating the Centre's flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. The date also coincides with the completion of the BJP government's first 100 days in the office.

Explaining the decision, Adhikari said the date carried a far darker historical significance than political celebrations. "August 16 is a black day in Kolkata's history since the 'Great Calcutta killings' were orchestrated under the leadership of Suhrawardy from this date. The previous TMC government observed it as 'Khela Hobey Divas'. Our government has decided that the day will be observed as Ayushman Divas. The details of our programme will soon follow," he told news agency PTI after a BJP organisational meeting in Tamluk.

Adhikari was referring to Direct Action Day on August 16, 1946, when the All India Muslim League called for mass action to press its demand for Pakistan ahead of India's Independence. The protests spiralled into one of the bloodiest episodes of communal violence in British India, remembered as the Great Calcutta Killings. The riots continued for several days, leaving an estimated 4,000 people dead, more than 10,000 injured and tens of thousands displaced. Historians widely regard the violence as one of the major events that accelerated the Partition of India in 1947. Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, then Chief Minister of undivided Bengal, has long remained at the centre of debates surrounding the handling of the violence.

Adhikari said details of the newly introduced Ayushman Divas celebrations would be announced on August 16. He also outlined the government's plan to expand health insurance coverage across the state. "Citizens who have crossed the age of 70 are automatically entitled to get the benefits of the scheme. And the remaining, who are eligible to receive the benefits of the scheme, will also be included in it. That will cover about 70 per cent of the beneficiaries. The remaining 30 per cent will be brought under the CM Health Insurance scheme, both of which will be introduced together," he said.

Responding to questions about complaints regarding the Annapurna Yojna, which replaced the TMC's Lakshmir Bhandar cash assistance scheme, Adhikari said only eligible beneficiaries would receive payments. "Money under Annapurna scheme has been transferred to over 1.2 crore women, which translates to an average 35,000 to 40,000 beneficiaries in each constituency. The verification process will continue till August 30 and all those who are found eligible will be included and those who are non-deserving will be dropped," he said.

On the upcoming Nandigram by-election, Adhikari expressed confidence that the BJP would retain the constituency. "There can be no doubt about our victory in Nandigram. I won the polls there by a margin of nearly 9,700 votes, five times the margin I had secured in 2021," he asserted.