TMC charges Union Minister and BJP leader with disrespecting Rabindranath Tagore’s photograph

Politics over Bengali cultural icons continues to rage in West Bengal with the Trinamool Congress on Thursday (September 11, 2025) accusing the Union Minister of State and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sukanta Majumdar of disrespecting Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Trinamool leaders Bratya Basu and Kunal Ghosh held a press conference where they highlighted a photograph of the poet which was allegedly placed at the feet of the Minister.

“We, in Bengal, revere Kobiguru Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, but the BJP keeps them under its feet. At a recent event presided over by former State BJP President and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar, their portraits were deliberately placed on the floor! This is the true face of BJP, the face of a party that is Bangla-Birodhi (those opposed to West Bengal) to its core,” the Trinamool Congress said in a statement.

Several leaders of the West Bengal’s ruling party shared the photograph of the Union Minister standing with the portrait of the poet being placed below his waist.

Responding to the allegations made by the TMC, Mr. Majumdar said that there was no disrespect to Rabindranath Tagore as the portrait of the poet was kept at a far distance and not on his stage.

“In a two-dimensional photograph it appears to be put on the stage, but the portrait was far from it. So, when I got up to speak it looks like being placed at my feet. I dare the Trinamool leaders to present a video of the portrait being keep at my feet on the stage,” the BJP leader said.

Targeting the BJP on the insult of cultural icons of the State, Trinamool Congress also recalled “how the BJP leaders vandalised the statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in 2019. They have still not apologised for this unforgivable act’.

“Their leaders from Delhi come here, insult our culture, desecrate our icons, and yet have the audacity to talk about Bengali pride,” the statement by the TMC said.

The development assumes significance as it comes days after a leader of Trinamool Congress Chattra Parishad was caught on camera burning a portrait of Rabindranath Tagore in West Bengal Malda district. The act was reported while burning photos of BJP leaders while protesting over targeting of migrants in the State. This development had left the Trinamool Congress leadership red faced the student leader Nasimul Haque alias A.B. Sohel was suspended from the party and arrested by Malda police.

The burning of a portrait of the tallest Bengali cultural icon had sparked a huge controversy across the State, with BJP leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari and BJP Shamik Bhattacharya, strongly criticising the incident on social media and taking to the streets.

The alleged disrespect to cultural icons assumes significance as it comes at a time when the Trinamool Congress is highlighting Bengali Asmita (language and culture) is every political discourse, particularly after the harassment of migrant workers from the State on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals.