Kolkata, 9 December (H.S.): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of displaying “ignorance and disrespect” towards Bengal’s cultural icons. Her remarks came a day after the Prime Minister, during his speech in the Lok Sabha, referred to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay the creator of Vande Mataram as “Bankim-Da”.

Addressing a public rally in Cooch Behar, Banerjee said the Prime Minister’s choice of words amounted to an insult to Bengal’s history.

“He called Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay ‘Bankim-Da’, as if he were addressing someone casually as Shyam-Da or Hari-Da,” she said. “Bankim Chandra, who gave the nation its national song, deserves utmost respect. This remark is an affront to our culture and history.”

The Chief Minister accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of repeatedly attempting to undermine Bengal’s intellectual and cultural legacy.

“They said Raja Rammohan Roy was not a patriot. They called Khudiram Bose a terrorist. They vandalised the bust of Vidyasagar,” she alleged. “All this only shows how little they understand Bengal’s culture.”

The controversy began on Monday when the Trinamool Congress posted a clip of the Prime Minister’s speech on X, claiming that the BJP leadership lacked cultural awareness. The party argued that Bengalis do not use “Da” casually with revered historical figures, noting that the traditional respectful suffix is “Babu”.

TMC MP Saugata Roy also raised the issue in Parliament, stating that “Bankim Babu” is the culturally appropriate address. Several TMC leaders echoed the criticism, with spokesperson Kunal Ghosh calling the Prime Minister’s remark “deeply disrespectful” and evidence of the BJP’s “basic lack of understanding”.

During the rally, Banerjee also repeated her charges that the Centre has withheld funds owed to the state. She said that West Bengal has not received allocations for the 100-day work scheme for the past four years, and that funds for housing and rural road projects have also been stopped.

“Since 2011, Bengal has won several national awards for implementing the 100-day work scheme. Is delivering good work a crime?” she asked. “When our MPs go to Delhi to demand the state’s rightful dues, cases are filed against them.”

The row over the Prime Minister’s remark has added fresh tension to the already strained relations between the ruling TMC in Bengal and the BJP-led Union government, with both sides expected to escalate the cultural and political war of words in the coming days.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh