Mamata Banerjee Demands PM Modi's Apology for 'Disrespecting' Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for referring to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay as "Bankim da" in Parliament, calling it disrespectful to the author of the national song Vande Mataram.

During a public rally in Cooch Behar district, Banerjee expressed her displeasure, stating that the renowned novelist was not accorded the "minimum respect" he deserved. She emphasized, "The person who wrote the national song was disrespected. You should bow your head and ask for forgiveness from the people. Yet you won't be forgiven, because you have disrespected the country's history and freedom struggle."

The controversy emerged after PM Modi's reference to Chattopadhyay as "Bankim da" during a Lok Sabha discussion commemorating 150 years of Vande Mataram. TMC MP Saugata Roy objected, suggesting "Bankim Babu" as the appropriate form of address.

Although Modi immediately acknowledged Roy's sentiment and agreed to use "Bankim Babu" instead, the TMC continued its criticism, with Banerjee insisting that Bengal's cultural icons must be treated with the highest reverence.

The Chief Minister remarked, "It sounded as if someone was calling 'Harida' or 'Shyamda'. This is how you addressed Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who wrote the national song. You did not give him even this much respect."

Banerjee further highlighted Bengal's significant contribution to India's independence movement: "When the country became independent, neither you nor we were born. But our fathers and grandfathers were. They saw the freedom struggle and taught us about it. Who struggled the most for India's independence? It was Bengal. Countless people were jailed, hanged and martyred."

She accused the BJP of undermining Bengal's legacy, claiming they had portrayed Raja Ram Mohan Roy as "not a patriot," labeled freedom fighter Khudiram Bose a "terrorist," and damaged the bust of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in Kolkata.

The Trinamool Congress leader described the BJP-led central government as "autocratic and corrupt," calling it a "Shakuni-Mama government" and a "Duryodhan-Duhshasan government." She warned, "This is an authoritarian government. If we do not protect the country from them, they will destroy the Constitution, democracy, the judiciary and the electoral system and rule by brute force."

Banerjee claimed that if the BJP were to gain power in West Bengal, they would "destroy Bengal's culture, language and heritage." She also suggested that Assembly elections would be announced immediately after the publication of final electoral rolls following the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision exercise.

The BJP has dismissed the TMC's accusations as politically motivated, suggesting they are attempting to divert attention from more pressing issues by manufacturing controversy.

This latest political clash over Vande Mataram and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay has intensified the already heated political atmosphere in Bengal as the state approaches Assembly elections next year.