The central government on Saturday announced that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be a part of the high-level committee which will plan the commemoration programmes of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s 125th birth anniversary.

The 85-member committee, which will be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been formed to overlook the year-long celebration for Bose, from January 23, 2021 to the same day in 2022.

The committee has inducted experts, historians, Bose’s family members, and eminent figures of Bengal and personalities associated with the Azad Hind Fauj.

Other than Banerjee, the committee has former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and former India captain and present BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly.

Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress’ West Bengal chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has also found a place in the committee. Similarly, BJP’s party president in West Bengal Dilip Ghosh has been included as well.

Bose had spent years in North-East India as the leader of the Azad Hind Fauz. Thus, Neiphiu Rio, Zoramthanha and Biplab Kukar Deb, respectively the Chief Ministers of Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura, have been made a part of the committee to plan the celebrations there.

There are members from film and cultural society as well. Former TMC MP Mithun Chakraborty, BJP MP Rupa Ganguly, BJP MP Babul Supriyo and filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly are among the inductees of the committee. Music director A.R. Rahman and actress Kajol have been named as well.

Prime Minister Modi will visit Kolkata on January 23 to kickstart the year-long celebrations, which will not be limited only to India.

According to reports, there will be commemorating events for Bose in countries like Japan, Russia, Myanmar and Germany, where he had lived a major part of his exiled life after leaving British India.

“Netaji Subhas Bose’s bravery is well-known. A scholar, soldier & statesman par excellence, we are soon to commence his 125th Jayanti celebrations. For that, a high-level committee has been formed. Come, let us mark this special occasion in a grand manner!” Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has formed a separate committee to observe commemoration for Bose on his 125th birth anniversary.

The committee – led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee – boasts a similar demography as its central counterpart. However, there are not many eminent personalities from outside Bengal.