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TMC MP Saayoni Ghosh's speech with many faiths' prayers now viral: ‘BJP wants to divide us’
She took to X to share the video and captioned it, “Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, We'll live among ourselves as brothers”.
Trinamool Congress MP Saayoni Ghosh’s speech with religious songs viral again, this time for her message of pluralism. The Lok Sabha member was addressing a rally in Bhabanipur, West Bengal, where she recited chants from multiple religions while speaking about the area’s diversity.
In the video, Ghosh describes Bhabanipur, from where TMC supremo and CM Mamata Banerjee is contesting the assembly elections, as “mini India", where people from different faiths and communities live together.
She accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to divide such spaces.
Sharing the clip herself, Ghosh wrote, “Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, We'll live among ourselves as brothers."
Addressing the crowd in a mix of Bangla and Hindi, while also singing in Punjabi, she said, “From one home you can hear the chant, ‘Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Shakti Rupen Sansthita, Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namah…’."
"Ya Devi" is a popular Sanskrit mantra from the Hindu religious writing ‘Durga Saptashati’ in honour of Mother Goddess as the power residing within all beings. The Sanskrit verses are commonly used in Bengal during Durga Puja and Navratri.
“From another lane you can hear, ‘La ilaha illallah, Muhammadur Rasulullah, Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim’,” Ghosh further said in her speech, invoking a Muslim prayer in praise of Allah or one god.
She went on, “Nearby, from another lane, you hear, ‘Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar, Jai Kapis tihun lok ujagar…,’” singing lines from the popular Hindu chant ‘Hanuman Chalisa’.
She also invoked Sikhism: “From somewhere else, we hear, ‘Ik Onkar, Satnam, Karta Purakh, Nirbhau, Nirvair, Akal Moorat, Ajooni, Saibhang, Gur Prasad…’” This is the Mool Mantar, the foundational prayer in the faith founded by Guru Nanak.
Ghosh said, “All of this exists together; and yet the BJP raises its hand to divide this space." The crowd cheered.
Bhabanipur is set to witness a direct contest once again between CM Banerjee and BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, who had defeated her in Nandigram in the previous election.
Saayoni Ghosh and Kaaba-Madina song
Ghosh, who is also an actor and musician, had earlier faced trolling from the BJP and other allied forces when, during the election campaign, she sang the folk song that said “Kaaba in the heart and Madina in the eyes”.
BJP leaders called this communal. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, speaking at an election rally in Bengal, said, “One of their MPs declares that she has the Kaaba in her heart and Medina in her eyes. I want to tell her that we have Mahakali in our hearts and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in our eyes.”
Ghosh's remarks in Parliament
Ghosh, a first-time parliamentarian from Jadavpur, has also been vocal in Parliament. In March, she alleged that “hardly any democracy is left” in Parliament, claiming that the voices of opposition members have been curbed.
Participating in the debate on a resolution seeking the removal of Om Birla from the Speaker’s post, Ghosh said she held no personal grievances against him.
“But this is a question of impartiality and dignity. There is hardly any democracy left in Parliament. Our opinions are thrashed. How can we fight for the people when we are fighting for our own rights?” she said, adding that Parliament, meant to function as a policy-making platform, has been reduced to an advertising platform.
