Congress Braces For Treason Charge As Bangladesh Anthem Row Heightens

The controversy over a Congress district-level leader reciting Bangladesh's national anthem has heightened, with the Assam government taking legal action over what it claims is an endorsement of narratives from across the border.

The Congress leadership in Sribhumi district is likely to be charged with treason, said sources, after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma directed Assam Police to take strict action over the incident.

Hitting back, the Congress said that the BJP was creating an "unnecessary controversy" as it had no other issue to divert people's attention.

'Amar Sonar Bangla' was penned by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905 as a mark of unity to protest the first partition of Bengal, a move that was undone in 1911. The song, praising Bengal's beauty and the deep connection between Bengalis and their motherland, is often sung by Bengali speakers at various events. It was adopted by Bangladesh as its national anthem after its independence in 1971.

Bidhu Bhusan Das, an 80-year-old district-level Congress worker, recited the Tagore song at a party event in Sribhumi, which borders Bangladesh and is part of the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley, in a move that lacked any element of surprise.

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,… pic.twitter.com/knutJ3NDSi

— BJP Assam Pradesh (@BJP4Assam) October 28, 2025

The BJP, however, found it problematic, with the Chief Minister calling it an endorsement of claims by a section of Bangladeshi leaders that the entire Northeast region was part of their country.

"The performance of Bangladesh's national anthem instead of India's in Sribhumi is a blatant disrespect to the people of India and its national anthem. It is also in line with the new claim of various Bangladeshi people that eventually, the Northeast will be part of Bangladesh. We see the recitation of Bangladesh's national anthem by the Congress district committee as an endorsement of that claim," Sarma told reporters.

Asserting that such behaviour amounts to "anti-national activity" and cannot be tolerated, the Chief Minister said he has instructed the Assam Police to register a case against the District Congress Committee of Sribhumi under appropriate sections of law and to initiate immediate and strict action in this regard.

State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi defended the 'Amar Sonar Bangla' recitation, asserting that the song was a Tagore composition that conveyed Bengali sentiments.

"The BJP has always insulted the Bengali language, Bengali culture, and the people of Bengal. Their recent actions once again expose their ignorance of Bengal's rich heritage, the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore, and his philosophy. 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 but never cares to understand their culture, language, and their sentiments," the senior Congress leader told reporters.

The controversy arises at a crucial juncture in the relations between India and Bangladesh. The ties between the two countries have nosedived after a regime change in Dhaka last year. Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, is currently in exile in India.

The changing Dhaka politics also includes its growing proximity to Islamabad. Bangladesh's interim government's Chief Advisor and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus met Pakistan's Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, last week and presented him a book that featured a Bangladesh map, including parts of the Northeastern states on its cover.