Mamata Banerjee demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday for allegedly insulting legendary novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay by referring to him as “Bankim da” in Parliament, and accused the BJP of repeatedly disparaging Bengal’s cultural icons and freedom fighters.
Mamata Banerjee told a public meeting in Cooch Behar district
Banerjee told a public meeting in Cooch Behar district that the author of the national song Vande Mataram was not given the “minimum respect” he deserved by being addressed informally.
“The individual who composed the national anthem was disrespected. You should lower your head and beseech the people for forgiveness. However, you will not be pardoned because you have degraded the country’s history and the independence struggle,” she stated.
The uproar erupted after Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to Chattopadhyay as “Bankim da” during a discussion in the Lok Sabha commemorating 150 years of Vande Mataram on Monday.
TMC MP Saugata Roy objected to the use of the suffix “da” and advised the prime minister to pronounce “Bankim Babu” instead.
Modi immediately confirmed the sentiment, stating, “I’ll say Bankim Babu. Thank you, I appreciate your feelings,” and asked in a lighthearted tone whether he could still call Roy as “dada”.
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Despite the clarification, the TMC continued to criticize the PM, with Banerjee claiming that cultural icons of Bengal must be treated with the utmost respect.
The BJP, on the other hand, slammed the TMC’s claim as politically motivated, accusing the ruling party of creating a scandal to divert attention away from serious issues .
Mamata Banerjee slammed the BJP, saying
Banerjee slammed the BJP, saying, “It sounded as if someone was calling ‘Harida’ or ‘Shyamda’.” This is how you addressed the national song’s author, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. You did not show him even this much respect.” The chief minister recalled Bengal’s contributions to India’s freedom effort, saying, “When the country got independent, neither you nor we were born. But our fathers and grandfathers were. They witnessed the independence struggle and informed us about it. Who fought the hardest for India’s independence? It was Bengal. Countless people were imprisoned, executed, and martyred.
There were also Punjabi revolutionaries. “But where were you?” She accused the BJP of methodically eroding Bengal’s past, claiming that the party labeled social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy as “not a patriot,” called independence fighter Khudiram Bose a “terrorist,” and vandalized Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s bust in Kolkata.
Banerjee went on to describe the BJP-led central administration as “autocratic and corrupt,” referring to it as the “Shakuni-Mama government” and the “Duryodhan-Duhshasan government.”
“This is an authoritarian regime. “If we do not protect the country from them, they will destroy the Constitution, democracy, the judiciary, and the electoral system, and rule by brute force,” she claimed.
Politically targeting the BJP, the Trinamool supremo stated that if the party gains power in West Bengal, it will “destroy Bengal’s culture, language, and heritage”.
She further stated that the next Assembly elections would be declared soon following the publishing of the final electoral rolls following the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) procedure, ensuring that “no one can challenge it in court”.
“The SIR is being used to create fear among voters,” Banerjee claimed, accusing the BJP of trying to influence the election process ahead of the polls.
The rekindled political feud over Vande Mataram and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay has added fuel to Bengal’s already combustible political climate ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.
