The Congress's Assam unit has come under fire after Bangladesh anthem “Amar Sonar Bangla” was reportedly sung at the party's meeting in Karimganj district prompting strong reactions from the state's ruling BJP that accused the grand old party of creating a “Greater Bangladesh” vote-bank agenda.
Slamming the Congress, the BJP alleged that the incident was part of a “coordinated effort to lure the vote bank”. The Congress defended it by saying it was an integral part of Bengali culture.
What did the BJP say?
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the Congress of engaging in “competitive appeasement politics,” which he said has led the Congress to “officially support Bangladeshi infiltrators” and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to “push for Jungle Raj and the rule of Sharia laws, despite claiming to stand by the Constitution”.
“The Congress is showing support to Bangladesh at a time when that country talks about dividing India. This has become a premeditated enterprise of the Congress and the Opposition,” Poonawalla said, referring to controversial remarks made by Congress leaders Sam Pitroda, Priyank Kharge and others. He added, “On one side, the Congress disrespects Assam and supports Bangladeshi infiltrators. On the other side, when our government detects, deletes and deports illegal immigrants, the Congress divides, distorts and defends them.”
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma termed the incident "blatant disrespect" to the people of India and directed the state police to register a case in the matter.
{{/usCountry}}Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma termed the incident "blatant disrespect" to the people of India and directed the state police to register a case in the matter.
{{/usCountry}}Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Sarma said, "Two days ago, the district Congress committee of Sribhumi district performed the national anthem of Bangladesh in place of the national anthem of India. This is a blatant disrespect of the people of India. It is in line with the new claim by some Bangladesh citizens that the north-east will eventually be part of Bangladesh."
"I have instructed Assam Police to register a case against the district committee of Sribhumi district and take action as per law," CM added.
Congress responds
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi came to the defence of state unit leaders and said that 'Amar Sonar Bangal' was composed by Rabindranath Tagore, reflecting the sentiments of Bengali culture.
"The BJP has always insulted the Bengali language, Bengali culture and the people of Bengal. Their IT Cell has also insulted people of Bengal in the past. They have shown ignorance by not knowing the history of Rabindranath Tagore. I think the people of Bengal and Bengali-speaking people in different parts of the country have recognised that the BJP only uses them for votes," he said.
Responding to the controversy, Sribhumi District Congress president Tapas Purkayastha said, "Don't play politics with Rabindranath Tagore. Our pride, 85-year-old poet Vidhu Bhushan Das, sang only two lines of the song. Criticising this song means insulting Rabindranath Tagore."
Meanwhile, TMC leader Mahua Moitra said that 'Amar Sonar Bangla is an emotion for Bengalis and was written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905 to protest Bengal’s partition by British. “First 10 lines adopted as Bangladesh national anthem only in 1971. “Amar Sonar Bangla”is an emotion for all us Bengalis,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
What happened?
An undated video showing a Congress leader singing ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ at the party's meeting n Sribhumi district of the state, bordering Bangladesh has gone viral on social media. As the video gained traction, it triggered a political furor with the BJP accusing the party of resorting to vote-bank politics.