‘Inconsistent with dignity’: State strips BJP MP Ananta of Banga Bibhushan for anti-Netaji tirade
Times of India | 14 August 2026
Kolkata: The Suvendu Adhikari administration on Thursday stripped BJP MP and Rajbangshi leader Ananta Maharaj of Banga Bibhushan, Bengal’s highest civilian honour, for his comments denigrating national icon Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army.
The Mamata Banerjee administration had conferred the award on the controversy-prone BJP Rajya Sabha MP in the run-up to this year’s assembly election.
The order stripping Ananta of Banga Bibhushan did not, however, explicitly refer to the ongoing controversy that the state BJP leadership has been desperately trying to contain. Special commissioner and director of culture Kaushik Basak’s order stated that “retention of Banga Bibhushan by Nagendra Ray alias Ananta Maharaj” was “inconsistent with the dignity, prestige and purpose of the honour”. The MP “shall cease to be entitled to represent himself as a recipient of the Banga Bibhushan and shall not hereafter use, claim or derive any recognition, privilege or benefit specifically arising” from the award, the order added.
Ananta recently described Netaji as a “war criminal” and questioned his military capability, wondering whether he really had the ability to organise and raise a force like the INA. He claimed that Netaji did not build the army himself; it was merely a unit of British-Indian soldiers captured and handed over by Germany. Netaji “misused” the INA, Ananta said, and questioned its overall contribution to India’s freedom struggle.
The BJP MP remained defiant in the face of the action of a state administration led by his own party and told reporters in New Delhi that his observations on Netaji were a matter of public record. What he had said were facts that were documented in the National Archives and it was up to the Congress to comment on their authenticity, he added, claiming that he possessed complete documentation to prove his point. He iterated that Netaji did not raise the INA himself and said action should be taken against Nehru as well for allegedly referring to Netaji as a “war criminal”.
Thursday’s decision to strip Ananta of Banga Bibhushan coincided with Coochbehar cops arresting Ananta’s aide and Greater Coochbehar People’s Association (GCPA) functionary, Kiran Kumar Das, from Chakulia in North Dinajpur. Das, a resident of North Dinajpur’s Jharbari, had mocked Netaji on social media and questioned his disappearance. The post was later taken down by police. Islampur superintendent of police Rakesh Singh said Das was being questioned. Cops have also removed 107 other social media posts insulting Netaji and registered eight FIRs across Bengal.
Ananta wields significant influence in Rajbangshi politics as a socio-political leader and head of a major faction of the GCPA that has championed regional autonomy and statehood demands for Coochbehar. The Rajbangshi community constitutes a significant voting bloc, comprising 18-20 lakh voters in Bengal. Both the BJP and the Trinamool have viewed Ananta as being critical to securing the community’s votes.
But there has been a growing feeling within the BJP that the negative repercussions across Bengal of his “irresponsible comments” far outweigh his importance as a representative of the Rajbangshi community. CM Suvendu Adhikari said on Wednesday that the law was “equal for everyone, whether... minister, MP, MLA, official”. “The police will act according to BNS. They will independently decide on the course of action; we will not interfere,” he added. North Bengal development minister Nisith Pramanik, also from Coochbehar, on Thursday advocated for unity and blamed a section for trying to create a divide between Rajbangshis and non-Rajbangshis in the region.