Das sang Tagore's "Amar Sonar Bangla" as Rabindra Sangeet at Seva Dal meeting in Sribhumi; song is Bangladesh's anthem, sparking viral backlash.
Minister Paul calls it "absurd," demands police probe and video review to check for anti-national intent.
Leaders clarify it was a cultural tribute, not political statement; highlight Das's flag-hoisting patriotism to counter accusations.
Assam Congress Leader Sparks Row After Singing Bangladesh Anthem At Party Meet
BJP minister demands probe into Bidhu Bhushan Das's rendition of Rabindra Sangeet-turned-national anthem at Seva Dal event, as Congress defends it as harmless Tagore tribute amid Barak Valley tensions.
Summary
A senior Congress leader triggered a political storm in Assam's Barak Valley after singing Bangladesh's national anthem during a party meeting on Monday, prompting sharp criticism from BJP leaders who demanded an immediate police investigation into the "absurd" act.
According to The Hindu, Bidhu Bhushan Das, a former head of the Karimganj (Sribhumi) district unit of Congress Seva Dal, began his address at an executive committee meeting of the district Seva Dal at Indira Bhavan by performing "Amar Sonar Bangla, Ami Tomay Bhalobasi," a Rabindra Sangeet composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in 1905 during Bengal's partition under British rule. The song, later adopted as Bangladesh's national anthem, was introduced by Das as a simple Tagore composition, but the rendition quickly went viral, igniting accusations of anti-national sentiment in the sensitive border region.
The incident unfolded amid heightened political sensitivities in Barak Valley, a Bengali-majority area bordering Bangladesh, where cross-border issues like infiltration and cultural ties often fuel partisan debates. BJP minister Krishnendu Paul condemned the act, stating, "Congress can do anything. Everything about that party is absurd—they don’t even know when or what to sing." He announced plans to review the video footage and urged police to probe the matter, questioning the appropriateness of the song at a party event.
Congress leaders swiftly defended Das, s per pti, with Shahadat Ahmed Choudhury (Swapan), chairperson of the media department of the Karimganj (Sribhumi) district Congress committee, asserting, “‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ is a song composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Das began by saying he would start with a Rabindra Sangeet." Choudhury emphasized Das's patriotism, noting, "He is a respected leader who hoists the Indian flag at Indira Bhavan every Independence Day. There is no question of him singing it as the anthem of Bangladesh." The party dismissed the BJP's outrage as a politically motivated smear ahead of upcoming elections.
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