West Bengal will not observe Surgical Strike Day, says minister

West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee said on Friday that the state will not observe September 29 as “Surgical Strike Day”.

Chatterjee criticised the UGC diective as an attempt to “malign and politicise” the Army.

The BJP said the Trinamool Congress government has made it a practice to oppose every decision of the central government.

On September 29 in 2016, the Indian Army carried out “surgical strikes” on seven terrorist launchpads across the LoC as a response to an attack on its base in Uri earlier that month.

The Indian Army had said its special forces inflicted “significant casualties” on terrorists waiting there to cross onto the Indian territory.

“This is an agenda of the BJP and it is trying to push this agenda by using the UGC ahead of elections. It is a matter of shame that they are using the UGC to achieve their political agenda. We won’t abide by the directions of UGC,” Chatterjee said.

The University Grants Commission directed varsities and higher educational institutions across the country on Thursday to observe September 29 as “Surgical Strike Day”.

Chatterjee said, “We would have understood it had they asked us to observe the day in the name of sacrifices made by our soldiers. We have full respect for our soldiers and their sacrifices.”

“The Indian Army has always been kept above politics and controversies. But now we are seeing that the BJP is trying to malign and politicise the Indian Army. This is not right and we won’t support it,” he said.

Reacting to the allegations, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said the TMC government has made it a practice to oppose each and every decision of the Centre.

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