Senior Congress leader of Assam Bidhubhushan Das has landed in controversy for singing the national anthem of Bangladesh “Amar Shonar Bangla” on the public platform. BJP has criticised the incident calling the Congress “Bangladesh-obsessed” and stated that this comes amid a row over a Bangladesh map that includes most of Northeast India.

Bidhubhushan Das is one of the most popular Bengali leaders of Barak Valley region of Southern Assam, which has a Bengali speaking majority. He allegedly sang “Amar Shonar Bangla” during a meeting of the Congress Seva Dal at Indira Bhavan in Sribhumi district on Monday. Das is a resident of Sribhumi (former Karimganj) and was the former president of the district unit of the Seva Dal. It is known that he started his speech with the song composed by Rabindranath Tagore.

What is “Amar Shonar Bangla”?

 “Amar Shonar 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 Shonar Bangla” as its national anthem after its independence in 1971, nearly seven decades after it was written.

BJP calls Congress “Bangladesh-obsessed”

The incident on Tuesday sparked controversy with the video of the song going viral on social media which invited criticism from netizens. The BJP unit in Assam slammed the Congress over a video of the district-level leader singing 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.

“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 unit in Assam said in a post on X.

Assam Minister Ashok Singhal shared the video on X, condemning the Congress for allowing the singing of the national anthem of a “country that seeks 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 claimed.

State minister and BJP leader Krishnendu Pal said in this regard, “I have received news that a Congress leader has sung the national anthem of Bangladesh. Everything is possible in Congress. They do not know when and what to sing. After watching the video, I will demand an investigation from the police. I request you to take appropriate action against the culprits.”

Congress calls allegations baseless and politically motivated

On the other hand, the Congress has termed the controversy as “politically motivated” and allegations against Das as “baseless”. Gaurav Gogoi, Congress MP and its deputy leader in Lok Sabha, said BJP does not understand the historical and cultural significance of the song.

Karimganj (Sribhumi) District Congress Committee Media Department President Shahadat Ahmed Chowdhury argued in favour of Bidhubhushan Das in this incident, saying, ‘Bidhubhushan Das did not sing the national anthem of Bangladesh, he sang a Rabindrasangeet. ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ is written by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Before starting his speech, Das said that he would start with a Rabindrasangeet. He is a respected leader; he hoists the Indian tricolour flag at Indira Bhavan every year on Independence Day. This allegation against him for singing the national anthem of Bangladesh is completely baseless.”

The state police have not yet received any formal complaint in this regard, but officials have indicated that the video may be investigated if a complaint is filed.

Language and cultural identity are sensitive issues in Barak valley. Meanwhile, the recent pushback of Bangladeshi infiltrators has also become one of the issues of political tension in Assam. In this situation, the saffron camp is vocal about a political leader singing the Bangladeshi national anthem on stage!

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