TMC MP Sagarika Ghose called BJP "anti-Bengal" for failing to respect the state's cultural icons, highlighting the absence of any West Bengal BJP MPs at the parliamentary tribute to Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das.
The ceremony, held in Parliament's Central Hall, honored Das's 145th birth anniversary; TMC MPs attended in full strength, while BJP's local representatives skipped it entirely.
Ghose urged BJP's Suvendu Adhikari to explain the boycott, amid ongoing TMC-BJP rivalry over Bengal's identity and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.
TMC Labels BJP 'Anti-Bengal' Over MPs' No-Show At Chittaranjan Das Tribute Event
The event, organized to mark Das's 145th birth anniversary, saw TMC MPs, including Ghose and Derek O'Brien, paying floral tributes alongside other opposition leaders.
Summary
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday labeled the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as "anti-Bengal" after none of the party's MPs from the state attended a parliamentary tribute to freedom fighter and Bengal icon Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, accusing them of disrespecting the region's heritage.
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose, speaking at a press conference, said: "BJP is truly anti-Bengal. Not a single MP from Bengal turned up for the tribute to Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das in the Central Hall of Parliament. This is a blatant insult to Bengal's sons of the soil."
The event, organized to mark Das's 145th birth anniversary, saw TMC MPs, including Ghose and Derek O'Brien, paying floral tributes alongside other opposition leaders. Das, a key figure in the Swaraj Party and mentor to Subhas Chandra Bose, is revered in West Bengal for his role in the non-cooperation movement.
Ghose specifically called out BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, questioning: "Suvendu da, where were you? Is this how BJP honors Bengal's freedom fighters?" She contrasted TMC's attendance with BJP's absence, framing it as part of a pattern of cultural insensitivity.
BJP sources dismissed the charge, with a party spokesperson stating: "Tributes are routine; our MPs prioritize substantive issues like development over symbolic events." Adhikari was unavailable for comment.
The row escalates TMC-BJP tensions ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls, with TMC alleging BJP's "anti-Bengal" agenda through initiatives like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, which Mamata Banerjee has called a "conspiracy to disenfranchise locals." BJP counters that TMC uses such narratives to deflect governance failures.
As Bengal's political discourse heats up, the Das tribute snub underscores the deepening cultural divide between the two parties
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