West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee conferred honorary doctorate for contributions to literature and art

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee received an honorary doctor of literature degree from St Xavier's University in Kolkata on February 6. This marks the second time she has been honoured with the degree, with the first being in January 2018 from Calcutta University while Partha Chatterjee served as education minister.

After receiving the degree from Governor CV Ananda Bose at the convocation ceremony of St Xavier's, Banerjee dedicated the honour to the common people, especially the downtrodden sections of the society, in the state. Further, sharing her views, she said, "I represent the common man. So, I dedicate this honour to the common and more especially backward sections of the society in the state."
 
"Such honours really inspire people like us to work more for society. So, during the last ten years, we have been able to set up 10 new colleges in the state. More new colleges will be coming up soon. I have a special love for this university since they have never forgotten me. They invite me to their occasions including Christmas," she added.

Praising the CM, Governor CV Ananda Bose said, "The almighty becomes happy when a woman is honoured by the society. I think that in this programme the honour has been conferred to a richly deserving woman. This honour is not because of her political activities. This honour is because of her contributions in the spheres of literature and art," he said.

Moreover, on the occasion, the Chief Minister proposed the introduction of an honorary chair dedicated to Nobel Peace Laureate Mother Teresa. "This will send a message to the international community that the country and the state have regard for Mother Teresa," she said. Seconding this, Ananda Bose said that this will be a real tribute to the great soul who has spent her life for the welfare of the downtrodden sections, as stated in a report by IANS.