Bir Chila Rai’s 515th birth anniversary to be observed today

Cooch Behar: The 515th birth anniversary of Bir Chila Rai, the legendary commander of Maharaja Nar Narayan of Cooch Behar, will be observed on Tuesday with a two-day celebration. For years, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association leader, Nagen Ray (Ananta Maharaj), has been spearheading the commemorations. This year, the event is scheduled to take place in the Barogila area, near Cooch Behar town, with a massive turnout expected from various parts of North Bengal and Assam.

A notable deviation from previous years is the absence of invitations to BJP leaders and MLAs, despite Ananta Maharaj’s close association with the party. Traditionally, BJP leaders have been seen attending the event but this time no formal invitations have been extended to any BJP functionary.

Commenting on the matter, Ananta Maharaj stated: “We have invited the chief ministers of Assam and other states as well as the President of India.

However, we have not received confirmation from any of them yet. Local administrative officials have also been invited but no political party representatives — including those from the Trinamool Congress — have been asked to attend.”

BJP Cooch Behar District president Sukumar Ray downplayed the issue, saying: “This is not a BJP event. The Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association is a separate organisation and it is their prerogative to decide whom to invite.”

Political analysts, however, speculate that the decision to exclude BJP leaders may indicate a shift in Ananta Maharaj’s stance. His strained relations with local BJP leadership have been evident for some time.

Notably, during the last Lok Sabha elections, he was absent from BJP’s campaign rallies and even voiced criticisms of the party in media interactions.

The situation took an interesting turn when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited his residence in Cooch Behar post-elections, raising questions about his political alignment.

With the BJP leaders being sidelined from this year’s event, political observers believe this could signal evolving dynamics in North Bengal’s political landscape.