There is no doubt that Rabindranath Tagore's song "Amar shonar Bangla" had a political origin. The greatest administrative province of British India at the time, Bengal, was partitioned along religious lines in 1905 by Lord Curzon into a Muslim dominated East Bengal and a Hindu dominated West Bengal. In the middle of a massive public commotion, Tagore wrote this song in protest of this evil polarisation tactic.
The same song, which is also Bangladesh's national anthem, has caused political unrest in Assam more than a century later. After two lines of the song were sung at a Seva Dal meeting, Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister, asked the police to file charges of treason against leaders of the Sribhumi District Congress Committee.
The chief minister claimed that the episode was evidence of the Congress caving in to purported territorial ambitions on India's northeast by some members of Bangladesh's leadership.
Although ridiculous, the allegation was anticipated. This is because it's time for Mr. Sarma and the Bharatiya Janata Party to deploy their cruel but reliable polarization card to portray their main electoral rival as an advocate for an Islamic country in light of the impending assembly election. The strength of Tagore's song and vision is further demonstrated by this elected official's support of overt sectarianism.
One of India's towering leaders was forced to tackle the terrible specter of religious divide with a powerful melody in colonial India. New, independent India is plagued by the same infection. Conscientious Indians who are aware of the inclusive vision of their Constitution must fight it with equal vigor.
Mr. Sarma expects that this planned issue will help his party win more votes. It is unclear how the predominantly Bengali Barak Valley will react to Mr. Sarma's bigotry. However, a response in neighboring Bengal is anticipated. The state has long been a target for the BJP.
Bengal, which is headed to elections, will undoubtedly object to the accusations of sedition being made for performing one of Gurudev's songs.
As it stands, the central leaders of the BJP have a tendency to further their own agendas by displaying their disregard for and ignorance of Bengal's cultural symbols and sensibilities.
The Trinamool Congress would be able to corner the BJP in this state thanks to Mr. Sarma's statement. In this whirlwind of small time politics, the public conversation must not lose sight of a bigger, pertinent question: shouldn't a song or anthem transcend national boundaries and be claimed by everyone?
