Guwahati: A political storm has erupted in Assam after a local Congress function featured the recitation of Bangladesh’s national anthem Amar Sonar Bangla, prompting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to call for treason charges against the organisers. He has reportedly ordered the state police to slap treason charge against the Congress in this matter.
The controversy began during a Congress programme in Sribhumi, under the Barak Valley region bordering Bangladesh, where an 80-year-old party worker was seen reciting Amar Sonar Bangla. The anthem, written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905 and later adopted by Bangladesh in 1971, is considered a symbol of Bengali heritage.
Chief Minister Sarma condemned the incident, calling it an “anti-national act” and said it was “a blatant disrespect to the Indian national anthem.” He claimed the act aligned with the propaganda of certain Bangladeshi elements who assert that India’s northeast region belongs to Bangladesh. Sarma directed the Assam Police to register a case under relevant laws.
“The performance of Bangladesh’s national anthem instead of India’s in Sribhumi is a blatant disrespect to the people of India and its national anthem. It is also in line with the new claim of various Bangladeshi people that eventually, the Northeast will be part of Bangladesh. We see the recitation of Bangladesh’s national anthem by the Congress district committee as an endorsement of that claim,” Sarma told NDTV.
Watch what happened at the event here:
Congress meeting in #Sribhumi, #Assam begins with #Bangladesh’s national anthem “Amar Sonar Bangla”!The same country that dreams of separating India’s Northeast—now echoed at a #Congress event.
Appeasement politics taken to a whole new level!pic.twitter.com/zbiBcSnW2c— ANation News (@ANation_News) October 28, 2025
“Today, the Congress party has become the admirer of Bangladesh…evidence has emerged of how the Congress Party has descended into an agenda to tear India apart…The Congress Party has been standing shoulder to shoulder with Bangladeshi infiltrators for years. During the UPA era, the work of settling crores of infiltrators in the country was carried out. Now, from its own platform, the Congress Party sings Bangladesh’s national anthem to express its support. You must have seen this in the news as well. In a recent Congress meeting, one of their leaders was seen singing ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’, the national anthem of Bangladesh. Such an act becomes even more serious in light of Bangladesh’s recent release of a map showing most of India’s Northeast as part of its territory. They are singing the anthem of the same country that has just made a provocative gesture to separate India’s Northeast, especially Assam, from India…,” alleged BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala told at a press conference.
The Congress, however, dismissed the allegations and accused the BJP of distorting facts for political mileage. Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi said the BJP was “attacking Bengali culture” and reminded that Amar Sonar Bangla was penned by Tagore, who also wrote India’s national anthem Jana Gana Mana.
“This is part of our shared cultural and linguistic heritage. The BJP is trying to vilify the Congress by twisting cultural expression into a political issue,” Gogoi said.
The row comes at a time when relations between India and Bangladesh are under strain after the change of government in Dhaka. The tension has been further fuelled by a controversial map recently published in Bangladesh that showed parts of India’s Northeast within its territory.
