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News Desk: The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of distorting and insulting the National Anthem and launched a voting on social media asking whether the saffron party was a “shame for the country or humanity”.
“Those preaching about Patriotism & Nationalism can’t even sing our National Anthem correctly. This is the party which claims to uphold India’s honour and pride! SHAMEFUL! Will @narendramodi @AmitShah @BJP4India apologise for this “Anti-National” Act? #BJPInsultsNationalAnthem,” tweeted Abhishek Banerjee, TMC MP and nephew of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.
He even uploaded a video on the social networking site of top BJP leaders singing the National Anthem at a rally at Dumurjala in Howrah on Sunday.
The TMC and the BJP which will be the main contestants in the upcoming assembly election have been relentlessly attacking at each other for months over a range of issues.
While Union home minister Amit Shah had virtually addressed the rally, Union textiles minister Smriti Zubin Irani was present on the dais along with several other top BJP leaders and some former TMC leaders who recently joined the BJP.
The BJP rubbished the allegations saying that the TMC had played politics with the name of Lord Ram and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and is now doing politics with the National Anthem.
“There were two Union ministers, at least three former ministers who were earlier in the TMC, several eminent personalities. No one would believe that all of them together sang the National Anthem wrongly. The TMC is doing politics with the National Anthem as it had earlier done with the name of Lord Ram and Netaji. People won’t accept such politics,” said Samik Bhattacharya, BJP spokesperson in the state.
The BJP also came under fire from the Congress
“#WrongNationalAnthem On the 46th second of the video “janganamangal dayak” was sung as “janganamangal adhinayak” in BJP’s party hopping meet in Howrah today. What action to be taken against this insult to the national anthem? @INCIndia @adhirrcinc @JitinPrasada,” the West Bengal Congress Committee tweeted.
The Left Front also lashed out at the BJP following the incident.
“I had once challenged BJP parliamentarians during the UPA-I tenure. I had said in the Parliament that if any of them (BJP leaders) can sing the first eight lines of Vande Mataram, I would resign. There was silence for two minutes. None accepted the challenge,” said Md Salim, leader of Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Soon after the incident, TMC started an online poll on a social networking site. “What is BJP? #Bengal rejects BJP. Shame of the country? Shame of humanity?” it asked
The poll received around 1,100 votes within two hours.
