Rabindranath Tagores composition: Congress counters BJP over Bangladeshi national anthem row
Assam Congress faces controversy after its leader, Vidhu Bhushan Das, sang Bangladesh's national anthem. While the BJP alleges 'vote bank politics' and supports for 'infiltrators' linking it to a controversial map, Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi defends, citing Rabindranath Tagore's composition and Bengali cultural sentiment.
New Delhi: Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi has defended party leader Vidhu Bhushan Das after the latter sang Bangladesh’s national anthem, Amar Sonar Bangla, which triggered a controversy. He has slammed the BJP, which is criticising Das, by saying that Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore composed the song.
What is the controversy about?
Vidhu Bhushan Das sang Bangladesh's national anthem during a party meeting in Sribhumi on October 27. A video clip from the meeting became viral on social media, and the BJP picked up the issue. The saffron party accused the Congress of catering to Bangladeshi infiltrators and playing vote bank politics.
What has Gogoi said about the issue?
Congress’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gogoi, accused the BJP of always humiliating the Bengali language and culture. He said, "It is a song composed by Rabindranath Tagore and conveys the sentiments of Bengali culture. The BJP has always insulted the Bengali language, Bengali culture, and the people of Bengal."
He added, "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."
BJP attacks Congress over the Congress
Shehzad Poonawala, the national spokesperson of the BJP, said in a press conference, "During the UPA era, the work of settling crores of infiltrators in the country was carried out. Now, from its own platform, the Congress Party sings Bangladesh’s national anthem to express its support. In a recent Congress meeting, one of their leaders was seen singing Amar Sonar Bangla, the national anthem of Bangladesh."
He further said, "Such an act becomes even more serious in light of Bangladesh’s recent release of a map showing most of India’s Northeast as part of its territory. They are singing the anthem of the same country that has just made a provocative gesture to separate India’s Northeast, especially Assam, from India."
Notably, the interim head of the Bangladesh government, Muhammad Yunus, has triggered a controversy by reportedly presenting a Pakistani general with a controversial map in which Assam and other northeastern states have been shown as part of the Dhaka administration.