Assam govt orders probe after Congress leader allegedly sings Bangladesh anthem at party meet

The Assam government has ordered an inquiry after a video showing a Congress leader singing Bangladesh’s national anthem, Amar Sonar Bangla, during a party meeting in Sribhumi district went viral, sparking a political row.

The incident reportedly occurred on October 27 during a Congress Seva Dal meeting held at Indira Bhavan, the party’s district office in Sribhumi town. The anthem was sung by Vidhu Bhushan Das, an 85-year-old Congress leader and poet, who rendered two lines from the song written by Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate who also composed India’s national anthem.

Following the video’s circulation, Assam Fishery Minister Krishnendu Paul directed the district administration to initiate an inquiry. “We have received oral instructions from the minister to look into the matter and confirm the facts,” a senior district official told PTI.

Minister Paul alleged that the act reflected Congress’s “affinity for Bangladesh,” saying, “The Congress gave birth to Pakistan, and Bangladesh was a part of that country. Singing its national anthem shows their love for the neighbouring nation.” He further stated that the district commissioner had been instructed to take legal action if the allegations were confirmed.

Also Read: Congress leader defends singing of ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’, says it’s a tribute to Tagore, not an anti-national act

In response, Sribhumi District Congress president Tapas Purkayastha dismissed the allegations, saying, “Don’t indulge in politics with Rabindranath Tagore. Our pride, 85-year-old poet Vidhu Bhushan Das, sang only two lines of a Tagore song. Criticising this is an insult to Tagore himself.”

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi also came to the leader’s defence, accusing the BJP of “creating unnecessary controversy” to distract the public. “It is a song composed by Rabindranath Tagore and expresses Bengali cultural pride. The BJP has always insulted the Bengali language, culture, and people,” Gogoi said.

The BJP, meanwhile, reacted sharply, accusing the Congress of “vote bank politics” and pandering to “Bangladeshi infiltrators.”

The controversy has reignited debates over linguistic and cultural sensitivities in Assam, where Bengali-speaking populations coexist with multiple ethnic and indigenous communities.