New Delhi: Trinamool Congress leaders Monday tore into Narendra Modi’s speech on ‘Vande Mataram’ in the Lok Sabha after the Prime Minister referred to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who penned the national song, as “Bankim da”, which, they said, was “disrespectful to the literary icon” and “culturally insensitive”.
The Modi government, according to TMC leaders, held a discussion on ‘Vande Mataram’ in the hopes of reaping some dividends for the BJP ahead of the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections.
However, calling the PM’s “Bankim da” reference too informal and casual a way to refer to someone of Chattopadhyay’s stature, TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who kicked off the debate from her party’s end, said Bengal will not tolerate the belittling of the composer.
“Today, honourable PM Narendra Modi referred to ‘Rishi’ Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay as ‘Bankim Da’, creating the impression that he was having a casual conversation with the literary icon at a local tea shop. Bengalis will not tolerate the belittling of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay—just as they did not tolerate the disrespect shown to Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar when his bust was vandalised,” Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said.
The Barasat MP added that ‘Vande Mataram’ was not just the national song, a prayer, and a poem, but also the legacy of millions who sang it to fuel the struggle for Independence.
“Bengalis will not take kindly to such a casual reference to the revered author of ‘Vande Mataram’,” Ghosh Dastidar said, warning that Bengal had taken note of the PM’s reference.
Demanding justice for the disrespect meted out to Bengal, she further said that Bengalis knew how to stand up and fight. “’Jai Hind’ was popularised by Netaji, and ‘Jana Gana Mana’, our national anthem, was composed by Rabindranath Tagore, which was disrespected by their MP, Vishweshwar Hegde. The sense of patriotism among Bengalis runs deep, and such disrespect will never be tolerated,” Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar added.
Her party colleague, Mahua Moitra, took a similar line, calling the BJP’s debate on the song a “badly scripted comedy”. She said the entire debate was a distraction from the Centre’s failings.
“We are living in an India, where real unemployment exceeds 20 percent, that we are choking in the national Capital, where the Air Quality Index routine-levels are over-800, when the Centre is purposefully starving the non-BJP states of MNREGA, housing, and water scheme funds, where millions face hurried and arbitrary mass disenfranchisement, and where the Opposition is bullied for raising pressing national issues,” TMC MP Mahua Moitra said. Adding, “Suddenly, the government finds it so important, so urgent to discuss the historical complexities of a song.”
What is more ironic is the claim that the hate and divisiveness in today’s India could be linked back to ‘Vande Mataram’, she said. Just two weeks ago, on 24 November, the Rajya Sabha parliamentary bulletin published a section on parliamentary customs and conventions, explicitly informing all MPs that the decorum and seriousness of the proceedings of the House require that there should be no ‘Jai Hind’ or ‘Vande Mataram’ or any other slogans raised, Mahua Moitra said.
“So, Vande Mataram, in your view, as of last week, was placed on record in a parliamentary bulletin as a slogan, which was both indecorous and non-serious. And yet, suddenly, you want to discuss it for 10 hours in this House. Why? …. Because some party leader has advised you that the ‘Vande Mataram’ card, if played right, will give an advantage to the BJP in the 2026 Bengal elections,” Mahua Moitra added.
West Bengal goes to elections next year. BJP faces one of its stiffest competitions in the state from the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC. In the 2021 assembly polls, TMC won 213 of the total 294 seats while the BJP managed to win just 77.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)