Congress leader faces backlash for allegedly singing Bangladesh national anthem at party event in Barak Valley

A political storm has erupted across Assam’s Barak Valley after senior Congress leader Bidhu Bhushan Das allegedly sang “Amar Sonar Bangla, Ami Tomay Bhalobasi”, the national anthem of Bangladesh, during a Congress Seva Dal executive meeting in Sribhumi on Monday, October 27.

Das, a resident of Bhanga in Sribhumi district and former chairperson of the district Seva Dal unit, began his address at the meeting held at Indira Bhavan, the local Congress office, with the rendition of the song written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905 during the first partition of Bengal under British rule.

The alleged act has triggered widespread criticism from various quarters and fuelled intense debate on social media. On Tuesday, October 28, Assam Minister Krishnendu Paul confirmed that he had received reports of a Congress leader singing Bangladesh’s national anthem at a party gathering.

“Congress can do anything. Everything in that party is bizarre they don’t even know what to sing or when,” remarked Paul in Sribhumi.

He further stated that he would examine the video footage and request police intervention to investigate the matter thoroughly.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders have dismissed the controversy, calling it “politically motivated”.