Overview
- At a rally in Cooch Behar on Tuesday, the West Bengal Chief Minister said the Prime Minister should apologise for addressing Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay casually.
- Modi used “Bankim da” in the Lok Sabha during the 150th-year discussion on Vande Mataram and, after TMC MP Saugata Roy objected, he immediately switched to “Bankim babu.”
- TMC also highlighted Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat’s alleged misnaming of the author as “Bankim Das Chatterjee,” calling it further proof of disrespect.
- Party leaders amplified their criticism on X and in statements, accusing the BJP of ignorance about Bengal’s heritage and warning of political retaliation.
- TMC linked the episode to earlier controversies involving Tagore, Vivekananda and Vidyasagar to argue a continuing pattern of slighting Bengal’s luminaries.