‘Composed By Rabindranath Tagore’: Congress Shrugs Off BJP Criticism Over Bangladesh Anthem Row

Last Updated:October 29, 2025, 14:29 IST

Gaurav Gogoi defended party leader for singing Amar Sonar Bangla at a Congress meeting, criticising BJP for insulting Bengali culture and ignoring Rabindranath Tagore’s legacy.

Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday defended his party leader for singing the Bangladeshi national anthem during a party meeting and hit out at the BJP’s criticism, saying it was composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

A row erupted after Congress leader Vidhu Bhushan Das sang Bangladesh’s national anthem, Amar Sonar Bangla, during a party meeting in Sribhumi on October 27. After a video clip from the meeting started doing rounds on social media, the BJP quickly latched onto the issue and accused the Congress of indulging in vote bank politics involving Bangladeshi infiltrators.

However, Gogoi, Congress’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, said the BJP has always insulted the Bengali language, Bengali culture and the people of Bengal.

“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. 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 said.

Earlier in the day, BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala addressed a press conference on the anthem row and said the Congress Party has been standing shoulder to shoulder with Bangladeshi infiltrators for years.

“During the UPA era, the work of settling crores of infiltrators in the country was carried out. Now, from its own platform, the Congress Party sings Bangladesh’s national anthem to express its support. In a recent Congress meeting, one of their leaders was seen singing Amar Sonar Bangla, the national anthem of Bangladesh. Such an act becomes even more serious in light of Bangladesh’s recent release of a map showing most of India’s Northeast as part of its territory. They are singing the anthem of the same country that has just made a provocative gesture to separate India’s Northeast, especially Assam, from India,” he added.

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(with inputs from ANI)

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