Trinamool Congress on Friday came down heavily against BJP after former Karnataka Assembly speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri claimed that the national anthem was written to welcome the British.
The TMC has blamed BJP for being anti-Bengal and demanded Kageri's resignation. West Bengal minister Shashi Panja has said it is a deliberate attempt to target the state and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
Panja said, “The BJP is misinformed about nationalism and the national anthem. This is a deliberate insult to Rabindranth Tagore, whom we worship as God in West Bengal. The idea behind it is to target West Bengal and its culture, including its icons."
Panja questioned if the BJP will ask Kageri to resign, further demanding the party to take a stand on the issue.
The controversy comes at a time when the national song 'Vande Mataram' completes 150 years. This composition, an enduring anthem, has inspired countless generations of freedom fighters and nation builders, standing as a lasting emblem of India's national identity and collective spirit. Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, 'Vande Mataram' was first published in the literary journal Bangadarshan on November 7, 1875.
