A political row erupted on Tuesday following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remark that Rabindranath Tagore had composed “national songs” of two countries. Participating in an event at international border outpostPetrapole in North24 Parganas district of West Bengal, the Home Minister said that in the entire world “Kabiguru was the only person who had the privilegeof writing the national songs of two countries”.
“Once again, @BJP4India has proved that their leaders know nothing about the country’s history. On the auspicious occasion of Rabindra Jayanti, Union Home Minister @AmitShah claims that the NATIONAL SONGS of India and Bangladesh were written by Rabindranath Tagore! This is what happens when you spend more time revising history rather than studying it,” the Trinamool Congress said in its official twitter handle.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while participating in an event on Rabindra Jayanti, also took a swipe at the Union Home Minister’s remarks. Without directly naming Mr. Shah, Ms. Banerjee said that there are some people who, without knowing about the Gurudev, come with a written note or a teleprompter and speak about the poet forthe purpose of elections.
The Trinamool Congress chairperson also referred to a comment by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J.P. Nadda, who had said in December 2020 that Tagore was born in Visva Bharati, Santiniketan.
The Chief Minister further pointed out that it was the national anthem of India “Jana Gana Mana“ and of Bangladesh “Aamar Sonar Bangla“ that were written by Gurudev.
Also read | The spirit of 1971: On India-Bangladesh relations
Shah pays floral tributes
Earlier in the day, the Home Minister visited JorasankoThakurbariin Kolkata, the ancestral house of Rabindranath Tagore and offered floral tributes. Mr. Shah also participated in a cultural event to mark Rabindra Jayanti at Science City in Kolkata where a film Luminaries of Bengal was released.
The visit of Home Minister to West Bengal on the occasion of Rabindra Jayanti assumes political significance as the BJPhas been trying to appropriate cultural icons of the State – Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
The visit also comes ahead of the panchayat election in the State. Last month, Mr. Shah had visited the State and set a target of winning 35 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal for his party in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.
“If the Home Minister was coming to the State every year to observePachise Baishak[Rabindra Jayanti], we would have been happy. But we have seen that he comes only on special occasions,” Trinamool Congress leader Partha Bhowmick said. The Trinamool leader said that by now the Home Minister would have realised that the birthplace of Gurudev was not Visva Bharati but Jorasanko Thakurbari.
At a press conference at the Trinamool Congress party office, Mr. Bhowmick and Minister Sashi Panja also raised questions on the developments at Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan. Mr. Bhowmick said that Rabindra Bhawan at Visva Bharati was closed on the occasionof Rabindra Jayanti. Protests have erupted at Visva Bharati University over an eviction notice to Amartya Sen from his ancestralproperty.
“Those who are trying to defame Visva Bharati with the help of the Vice-Chancellor are paying respects to Rabindranath. People of West Bengal are watching it,” the Trinamool leader said.
Boosting India-Bangladesh ties
Speaking about India’s relations with Bangladesh during the event at Petrapole, the Home Minister pointedthat the two countries not only share bilateral ties but the relations are based on a common language, culture, art and way of life.
“Nobody can come in between the relations of India and Bangladesh. For thousands of years, we are nations that have survived on the same culture. From the birth of Bangladesh till today, India has played an important and friendly role in Bangladesh,” Mr. Shah said.
The Home Minister added that BSF had an importantrole to play in Bangladesh’sbattle of liberation and that is the reason why even today India and Bangladeshhave friendly and warm ties.
Mr. Shah laid the foundation stone of Maitri Dwar, the 2nd Cargo Gate of the Land Port Authority of India at Petrapole. ”It is a stepping stone towards enhancing bilateral trade relations between India and Bangladesh benefiting the economies of both countries,” the Home Minister said.
He described the Land Port authority as a “big institution” that not only boosts economic activity of India but also serves as an ambassador to India’s message of friendshipwith neighbouring countries.Observing that the Land Port at Petrapole serves as a trade route of 600 to 700 trucks a day, Mr. Shah said that operation of the 2nd Cargo Gate will ease out traffic congestion and boost trade.
The trade through the Land Port at Petrapole has increased from ₹18,000 crore in 2016-17 to ₹30,000 crore in 2022-23. Mr. Shah said that every year about 5 lakh passengers can travel every year through the land port. He also inaugurated two residential complexes and one officer’s mess of the BSF along with other projects with a total worth of ₹108.3 crore.
