Trinamool demands apology after BJP MP ‘butchers’ Matangini Hazra’s name in Parl
Kolkata: A day after BJP MP Anurag Thakur referred to the national song “Vande Mataram” as “Vande Bharat” during his speech in the Parliament, another BJP MP Dinesh Sharma took his comments a notch higher by claiming that freedom fighter Matangini Hazra was a Muslim. Condemning the remarks made by Sharma in the Rajya Sabha, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday alleged that Sharma stood in the Parliament and “butchered” the name of Matangini Hazra, exposing BJP’s “chronic deep-seated disconnect” from Bengal in a single “shameful moment”.
Sharma’s remark triggered a political row with Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh demanding an apology from the saffron party for the “unfortunate” and “irresponsible” statement. “Matangini Hazra is a martyr who received bullets on her chest during Quit India movement. She is a symbol of Mother India. How can the BJP raise a question if she was a Muslim or a Hindu. A BJP MP has referred to Hazra as Muslim. BJP is introducing the great freedom fighter to us. BJP should tender an apology for this,” Ghosh said.
He also stated: “Why the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari who often speaks on Matangini Hazra was silent on the issue. BJP has consistently shown disrespect to Bengal’s icons. The Prime Minister had called Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay “Bankim Da”. The BJP will get the punishment when the people of Bengal will again reject them democratically.”
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress on X stated: “BJP has finally confessed what Bengal always knew: they do not know our history, they do not respect our icons, and they certainly cannot pronounce our martyrs’ names. Their MP, Dinesh Sharma, stood in Parliament and butchered the name of Matangini Hazra, exposing the BJP’s chronic, deep-seated disconnect from Bengal in a single, shameful moment.”
“This is what happens when Bangla Birodhi Bohiragotos try to act like custodians of patriotism. Dinesh Sharma, a man who once held the second-highest office in Uttar Pradesh, demonstrates that political rank does not equate to knowledge or respect. He shouts nationalism from rooftops but cannot even utter the name of the woman who walked into British bullets with the tricolour held higher than their entire politics,” Trinamool Congress wrote further.
