People of Punjab, Bengal took leading roles in fight against British rule: Mamata

Kolkata: Participating in a ceremony to commemorate the 553rd birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak at Shahid Minar Grounds, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee noted that Punjabis and Bengalis share a deep bond. She also stated that the state government will give land to set up a Guru Nanak Bhavan.

"If you go to Andaman Cellular jail and see the list of people who fought against the British, you will see that people from Punjab and Bengal had played leading roles in the freedom struggle against the British rule," she said.

"Punjab and West Bengal have a lot of things in common and share a deep bond. The people of Punjab fight and work for the nation. I salute the state of Punjab and its people," the Chief Minister said.

Addressing the gathering, Banerjee added that the state government can give land to build a Guru Nanak Bhavan provided some welfare activities are carried out at the site. "The price of the property where the proposed Bhavan will come up is Rs 6 crore. The state government is willing to give the property but some welfare activities like a guest house or medical unit should be set up there. The application you have sent to the state government should be changed and a fresh one should be made for the purpose," she remarked.

Banerjee said as she would be travelling to Krishnanagar on Tuesday, she had to come a day in advance to join the celebrations.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has joined social media platform Koo, a statement said on Monday.

Banerjee, who has 7 million followers on Twitter and 4.9 million followers on Facebook, joined Koo on November 1.

"Her handle is @Mamtaofficial on Koo. In her first Koo, Mamata Banerjee announced the milestone of 50 lakh rural households having access to clean potable water through tap connections. She congratulated everyone involved in achieving this," the statement issued by Koo said.