BJP attacks Congress over ‘Bangladeshi national anthem’ recital by Assam leader

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday slammed the Congress after a purported video, showing a party leader singing the Bangladesh national anthem at a district-level event in Assam, went viral on social media. The BJP alleged that the incident was part of a “coordinated effort to lure the vote bank”, while the Congress defended it by saying it was an integral part of Bengali culture.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the Congress of engaging in “competitive appeasement politics,” which he said has led the Congress to “officially support Bangladeshi infiltrators” and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to “push for Jungle Raj and the rule of Sharia laws, despite claiming to stand by the Constitution”.

“The Congress is showing support to Bangladesh at a time when that country talks about dividing India. This has become a premeditated enterprise of the Congress and the Opposition,” Poonawalla said, referring to controversial remarks made by Congress leaders Sam Pitroda, Priyank Kharge and others. He added, “On one side, the Congress disrespects Assam and supports Bangladeshi infiltrators. On the other side, when our government detects, deletes and deports illegal immigrants, the Congress divides, distorts and defends them.”

In the undated video shared by the BJP’s Assam unit, a Congress leader is seen purportedly singing Bangladesh’s national anthem ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ at a party event in Sribhumi district of the state, bordering Bangladesh.

Congress MP and Assam chief Gaurav Gogoi responded to the criticism and said, “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 [BJP] IT Cell has also insulted people of Bengal in the past. 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.”