Bangladesh anthem at Assam Congress event sparks row, BJP accuses party for creating Greater Bangladesh

The Congress's Assam unit in Karimganj district sparked a row after the Bangladesh national anthem "Amar Sonar Bangla" was sung at the party meeting, drawing severe backlash from the ruling BJP, which accused it of creating a "Greater Bangladesh" vote-bank agenda. 

Now, both parties have come face-to-face, as the saffron party launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that the incident was a part of a "coordinated effort to lure the vote bank." To this, the Congress responded by saying that it is an "integral part of the Bengali culture." 

Slamming Congress, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said that the party is engaged in "competitive appeasement politics", which has led it to "officially support Bangladeshi infiltrators". He also took a sharp turn at the Trinamool Congress (TMC), stating that it "strongly pushes Jungle Raj and the rule of Sharia laws, despite claiming to stand by the Constitution."

Adding, "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. 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." 

Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, reacted to the incident, calling it "blatant disrespect" to the people of India. He has also directed the state police to register a case. 

While addressing a press conference, he said, "Two days ago, the district Congress committee of Sribhumi district performed the national anthem of Bangladesh in place of the national anthem of India. This is a blatant disrespect of the people of India. This aligns with the recent claim by some Bangladeshi citizens that the northeast will eventually be part of Bangladesh. I have instructed Assam Police to register a case against the district committee of Sribhumi district and take action as per law."

The Congress also went on to respond, with MP Gaurav Gogoi defending the state unit, saying that 'Amar Sonar Bengal' was a composition of Rabindranath Tagore and reflects the sentiments of Bengali heritage and culture.

He said, "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 recognized that the BJP only uses them for votes." 

Sribhumi District Congress President also responded to the controversy, saying, "Don't play politics with Rabindranath Tagore. Our pride, 85-year-old poet Vidhu Bhushan Das, sang only two lines of the song. Criticizing this song means insulting Rabindranath Tagore." 

TMC leader Mahua Moitra stated that 'Amar Sonar Bangla' is an emotion for the Bengalis, with only the first 10 lines of the song adopted as the national anthem of Bangladesh, that too in 1971. 

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 29, 2025