Mamata Accuses PM Modi of Insulting Bankim Chandra, Demands Public Apology

By A Staff Reporter

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of insulting celebrated Bengali novelist and Vande Mataram composer Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay by referring to him as “Bankim da” in Parliament. Addressing a public rally in Cooch Behar district, Banerjee demanded that the Prime Minister apologise to the people of Bengal for what she described as a casual and disrespectful reference to one of the state’s most revered cultural icons.

Banerjee said that Bankim Chandra, whose literary legacy and patriotic writings helped shape India’s freedom struggle, should have been accorded the “minimum respect” owed to a national figure of his stature. “The person who wrote the national song was disrespected. You should bow your head and ask for forgiveness from the people,” she said, adding, “Yet you won’t be forgiven, because you have disrespected the country’s history and freedom struggle.”

The Chief Minister accused the BJP of repeatedly denigrating the cultural and intellectual heritage of Bengal, targeting icons and freedom fighters to suit its political narrative. She alleged that the ruling party’s attempts to appropriate or distort the legacies of Bengali luminaries have only deepened resentment among the state’s people.