Kolkata, Dec 9 (LatestNewsX) – West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee struck out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday after the latter mis‑called the composer of “Vande Mataram,” Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, “Bankim Da” in Parliament. Even though Modi quickly amended his statement, now calling the poet “Bankim Babu,” Banerjee kept up her criticism while addressing an anti‑SIR rally in Cooch Behar.
In her remarks, she said, “Referring to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay as ‘Bankim‑Da’ is never acceptable. It sounds like calling a casual acquaintance ‘Shyam‑Da’ or ‘Hari‑Da’. Our country will not accept such an insult directed at the man who wrote our National Song. He should apologise, yet that mistake should never be excused. He has disrespected our culture and history,” Banerjee told reporters.
The chief minister also denounced the BJP for repeatedly snubbing Bengali icons such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Khudiram Basu and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, among others.
This marks the second consecutive day that Banerjee has focused on the “Bankim‑Da” issue. Earlier, before leaving for Cooch Behar, she reminded journalists at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport that it was Rabindranath Tagore who chose the stanza of Vande Mataram that became the national anthem.
“Even that drew objections from the BJP. They find fault with everything—sometimes with Gurudev, sometimes with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose,” Banerjee said.
The controversy has given Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress fresh ammunition to renew their long‑running claim that the BJP is anti‑Bengali. Since Monday, several TMC leaders have argued that Modi’s remark reflects an “anti‑Bengali” mindset among BJP heavyweights.
On Monday, while commemorating the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha, Modi launched a sharp attack on the Congress, alleging that the party once “split” the hymn under pressure from the Muslim League and had “knelt before them.” He urged Parliament to restore the pride in a song that once united the nation against colonial rule.
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