Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that it echoed claims made by some Bangladeshi leaders that the north-east belongs to their country. File photo
Assam CM orders treason charge over Congress leader singing Bangladesh anthem
CM links song to 'endorsing' foreign narratives; Congress defends cultural context of Tagore song amid India's soured relations with Bangladesh's interim govt
The controversy surrounding a Congress leader reciting Bangladesh’s national anthem has intensified, with the Assam government initiating legal action, alleging such incidents just endorses narratives from across the border.
Sources say the Congress unit in Sribhumi district may face treason charges after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ordered strict police action.
The Congress hit back accusing the BJP of manufacturing a distraction to divert public attention.
This controversy comes at a sensitive period in India-Bangladesh relations, which have soured since last year’s regime change in Dhaka. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is currently in exile in India.
Cherished Tagore song
The song in question, Amar Sonar Bangla, was written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905 to oppose Bengal’s first partition and celebrate its cultural unity. The partition was undone in 1911.
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Tagore’s song, praising Bengal's beauty and the deep connection between Bengalis and their motherland was later adopted by Bangladesh as its national anthem in 1971. However, it remains a cherished piece among Bengali speakers.
Bidhu Bhusan Das, an 80-year-old Congress worker, recited the song at a party event in Sribhumi, a Bengali-majority region near the Bangladesh border and is part of the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley. It is an act that reportedly raised no eyebrows locally.
Clear insult
The BJP, however, strongly objected to the incident, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleging it echoed claims made by some Bangladeshi leaders that the north-east belongs to their country.
"Reciting Bangladesh’s national anthem in place of India’s in Sribhumi is a clear insult to our nation and its people," Sarma told reporters. "It aligns with recent assertions by certain individuals in Bangladesh suggesting that the north-east will one day be part of their country. We view the Congress district committee’s actions as a tacit endorsement of that narrative," he added.
Calling the act "anti-national" and intolerable, the chief minister said he has directed Assam Police to file a case against the Sribhumi district Congress committee under appropriate sections of law and to take strict action on this matter.
In response, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi defended the recitation of Amar Sonar Bangla, emphasising that it is a Rabindranath Tagore creation that brims with Bengali sentiments.
Senior Congress leaders lashed out at the BJP accusing them of constantly disregarding Bengali language and culture.
“Their latest actions show a lack of understanding of Bengal’s heritage and Rabindranath Tagore’s legacy,” one leader told the media, adding that Bengali-speaking communities across India have realised the BJP seeks their votes but ignores their identity. I think the people of Bengal and Bengali-speaking people in different parts of the country have recognised that the BJP only uses them for votes but never cares to understand their culture, language, and their sentiments," he said.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s interim government has grown closer to Pakistan. Last week, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus met Pakistan’s top military official, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, and gifted him a book featuring a map of Bangladesh that controversially included parts of India’s north-east.