BJP President Nitin Nabin's bizarre remark, Tagore got 'Nobel Peace Prize'

BJP President Nitin Nabin drew the ire of Bengal and provided a new weapon to its rival Trinamool Congress. The newly elected BJP President Nitin Nabin was trying to connect with the Bengali demography by invoking Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore, but soon made a silly blunder. He said that Tagore won the "Nobel Peace Prize".

"Kaviguru taught the entire nation a new approach to education. He was given the Nobel Peace Prize for that. I pay my homage to Rabindranath Tagore," said Nabin, in Durgapur, while addressing a party workers gathering.

TMC was quick to hype it up by demanding an apology from Nabin. "He should apologise to people and correct himself for saying that Rabindranath received the Nobel Peace Prize. He is completely unaware of the fact that the ‘Vishwakabi' received the Nobel Prize for his contribution to literature. It seems that he never heard of ‘Geetanjali'," said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.

BJP has already been associated with the promotion of the Hindi language, a perception stemming from its ideological roots and political strategies. Critics usually accuse the BJP of imposing the Hindi language, which had been vehemently opposed by the Bangalis. The recent development had very little to change the image. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, "Bankim da", an act of association that was perceived by the ordinary Bengalis as an insult to the veteran poet. Similarly, other speeches by Amit Malviya and Amit Saha, to draw an association with the Bengali culture and literature, had reflected a lack of knowledge about the state and its history.

"This is not the first time that the BJP has shown its ignorance about Bengal's culture. PM Narendra Modi's ‘Bankimda' comment, and wrong references about Bengal's culture in speeches of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and netas like Biplab Deb, Amit Malviya or Dilip Ghosh, have shown their lack of knowledge about the state. It clearly shows that the party does not understand Bengal or its asmita," said Congress president Subhankar Sarkar