- The BJP Assam unit criticised Congress for singing Bangladesh's anthem at a local event in Sribhumi district
- Amar Sonar Bangla was written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905 as a protest against Bengal's first partition
- Sribhumi district borders Bangladesh and has a large number of Bengali speakers
The BJP unit in Assam has slammed the Congress over a video of a district-level leader singing Amar Sonar Bangla, Bangladesh's national anthem, at a party event in Sribhumi district. The BJP has called the Congress "Bangladesh-obsessed" and stated that this comes amid a row over a Bangladesh map that includes most of Northeast India.
The BJP's political attack on this subject is misplaced. Amar Sonar Bangla, meaning My Golden Bengal, was written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905 as a protest against the first partition of Bengal. The move sparked widespread protests against the British, and the partition was undone in 1911. Bangladesh adopted Amar Sonar Bangla as its national anthem after its independence in 1971, nearly seven decades after it was written.
In Amar Sonar Bangla, Tagore writes about Bengal's natural beauty and the deep connection a Bengali feels with the land. Bengali speakers on both sides of the border sing Amar Sonar Bangla often at public and private events. In fact, several restaurants serving Bengali cuisine in different parts of India, including one in Delhi, are named Amar Sonar Bangla.
Assam's Sribhumi district, earlier known as Karimganj, borders Bangladesh and is part of the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley. So, it is hardly surprising that Amar Sonar Bangla was sung at an event there.
Gaurav Gogoi, Congress MP and its deputy leader in Lok Sabha, said BJP does not understand the historical and cultural significance of the song.
"Bidhu Bhusan Das, an 80-year-old senior member of our party, sang the Bengali song 'Amar Shonar Bangla' a beautiful composition by Rabindranath Tagore.
"Unfortunately, the BJP cell is criticising this, claiming it to be a song of the Muslim community and the national anthem of Bangladesh. They fail to understand the historical and cultural significance of the song. It was written by Rabindranath Tagore, a Nobel laureate and one of India's greatest poets. Why can't we sing a Bengali song that celebrates our shared heritage and literary legacy?" he asked.
The BJP, however, has picked up on the video and targeted the Congress. "The signs couldn't be louder. Just days ago, Bangladesh dared to publish a map swallowing the entire Northeast and now the Bangladesh-obsessed Congress is proudly singing Bangladesh's national anthem right here in Assam. If after this someone still can't see the agenda at play, then they're either blind, complicit or both," the BJP's Assam unit has said on X.
Later in the evening, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma termed the act "anti-national" and said he has asked the police to register a case.
"Singing Bangladesh's national anthem instead of India's national anthem is an act of grave disrespect to the nation and its people. Such behaviour amounts to an anti-national activity and cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. The incident aligns with recent claims made by certain Bangladeshi organisations, which is a matter of serious concern. I have directed the Assam Police to register a case against the District Congress Committee of Sribhumi under appropriate sections to initiate immediate and strict action in this regard," Sarma said.
Assam minister Ashok Singhal has posted, "Bangladesh's national anthem 'Amar Sonar Bangla' sung at a Congress meeting in Sribhumi, Assam - the same country that wants to separate the Northeast from India!"
"Now it's clear why Congress, for decades, allowed and encouraged illegal Miya infiltration into Assam - to change the state's demography for vote-bank politics creating a 'Greater Bangladesh'," he added.
Relations between India and Bangladesh nosedived after a nationwide movement led to a regime change in Dhaka last year. Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's former Prime Minister and India's long-term ally, fled to Delhi. In the aftermath of the regime change, India also flagged atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.
Last week, the Bangladesh interim government's Chief Advisor and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus met Pakistan's Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, to discuss ties between Dhaka and Islamabad.
During the meeting, Yunus presented Mirza with the book 'Art of Triumph: Bangladesh's New Dawn'. The cover of this book features of map of Bangladesh that includes parts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. The map sparked strong reactions on social media.
