TMC holds protest at Tagore abode over BJP MP's remarks on 'Jana Gana Mana'

Kolkata, Nov 8 (PTI) Alleging that a BJP MP of Karnataka has insulted Rabindranath Tagore-penned national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana', the Trinamool Congress on Saturday held a protest at Jorasanko Thakurbari, the ancestral house of the Tagore family in Kolkata.

A controversy has erupted after Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri claimed that the country's national anthem was written "to welcome the British official".

Kageri made the remarks while addressing an event in Honnavar, to mark 150 years of 'Vande Mataram', the national song.

"We are deeply pained at the insult of Bengal's intellectuals. We will not tolerate such acts by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)," senior TMC minister Shashi Panja said, addressing a gathering outside the Thakurbari after garlanding a bust of Tagore inside the premises.

She claimed that the BJP is questioning whether 'Jana Gana Mana' will continue to be the national anthem.

Claiming that the BJP leadership has not taken any action against the offender, Panja said, "This means that they are endorsing what he said." "Those who point to people as deshbhakt or deshdrohi should decide under which category such a comment falls," Panja, flanked by party MLA Vivek Gupta and other leaders, said.

She asserted that the BJP was trying to create a division over Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's 'Vande Mataram' and Tagore's 'Jana Gana Mana'.

"Both are for the nation; there is no difference - they have both left a legacy," she said.

Stating that the whole of India takes pride in Bengal, Panja said that only one political party has targeted the state.

"Why do you (BJP) have so much dislike for Bengal?" she asked, maintaining that West Bengal is considered mini-India with people from across the country living here for generations.

"We live here together in brotherhood," she said, asking, "Why is the BJP creating division among the people in the state?" Panja claimed that the BJP was creating a narrative against Bengal.

"They (BJP) are questioning your citizenship and voting rights, thus insulting the people of Bengal," she said.

A special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is underway in West Bengal along with 11 other states by the Election Commission. PTI AMR NN