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The Assam unit of Congress found itself on the receiving end as the BJP accused the grand old party of indulging in appeasement politics after a video of Congress functionary singing Bangladesh's national anthem, Amar Sonar Bangla, went viral on social media. The purported video showed Congress leader Bidhu Bhushan Das singing Amar Sonar Bangla at a Congress Seva Dal meeting in Sribhumi district on October 27.

Sribhumi, a region close to the Bangladesh border with a large Bengali-speaking community, became the center of controversy following the incident. Taking potshots at the Congress, the BJP said that "Congress now openly stands by intruders and carry forward its agenda of breaking India for votes." "This is not a coincidence. This is a well thought-out experiment and industry for vote bank," BJP leader Shehzaad Poonawalla said.

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"A big leader of the Congress sings the national anthem of Bangladesh, which recently came up with a provocative gesture for the separation of India's northeast region, especially Assam. The Congress has officially come out to carry forward 'Bharat ke tukde tukde' agenda," Poonawalla charged.

Assam minister Ashok Singhal also slammed the Congress and said, "Bangladesh's national anthem 'Amar Sonar Bangla' sung at a Congress meeting in Sribhumi, Assam, the same country that wants to separate the Northeast from India. Now it's clear why Congress, for decades, allowed and encouraged illegal Miya infiltration into Assam, to change the state's demography for vote-bank politics creating a 'Greater Bangladesh'."

History Of Amar Sonar Bangla

Amar Sonar Bangla, meaning "My Golden Bengal," was written by legendary poet, writer, philosopher and social reformer, Rabindranath Tagore, in 1905 as a mark of protest against the first partition of Bengal. Amar Sonar Bangla became the war cry for the protests against the British, which reversed the Bengal partition in 1911.

70 years later, Bangladesh adopted Amar Sonar Bangla as its national anthem after gaining independence in 1971.

The song celebrates Bengal's natural beauty and the deep emotional bond Bengalis feel with their land. Bengali speakers on both sides of the India-Bangladesh border sing the anthem at public and private events, and it is widely recognised, including in restaurants named after it. Assam's Sribhumi district, renamed from Karimganj in 2024 to honour Rabindranath Tagore, borders Bangladesh and falls within the Bengali-majority Barak Valley.

Congress Defends

Defending his party, Congress MP and deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, said the BJP fails to grasp the historical and cultural significance of Amar Shonar Bangla, saying that the song was written by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, yet the BJP criticised it as a "Muslim song".

"It is a song composed by Rabindranath Tagore and conveys the sentiments of Bengali culture. The BJP has always insulted the Bengali language, Bengali culture and the people of Bengal. Their IT Cell has also insulted people of Bengal in the past," Gaurav Gogoi said as quoted by News18.

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"They have shown ignorance by not knowing the history of Rabindranath Tagore. 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," he added.

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