Rabindranath Sanyal? Amit Shah's gaffe fresh blow to BJP's Bengal outreach

West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday revived — and sharpened — its long-standing charge that the BJP’s cultural courtship of Bengal is all costume and no comprehension, after Union home minister Amit Shah confused Rabindranath Tagore with revolutionary Sachindra Nath Sanyal during his visit to Kolkata.

The gaffe, delivered in a state where cultural memory is political currency, immediately triggered a caustic response from the TMC, which said Shah’s slip was not an accident but part of a familiar pattern — BJP leaders claiming reverence for Bengal’s icons while repeatedly getting their names wrong.

Taking to social media, the party wrote: “Rabindranath Sanyal?? No, Mr. @AmitShah. Rabindranath Tagore. Sachindra Nath Sanyal. Two towering figures. Two entirely different people. But how would you know the difference? After all, you are BOHIRAGOTO (outsiders -- Ed.) with zero cultural literacy. Do your homework. Stop mangling our icons.”

TMC leaders said the episode neatly illustrated what they have long described as the BJP’s “cultural pretensions” in Bengal — elaborate symbolism paired with a shaky grasp of history. They pointed out that Shah’s stumble merely joins a growing catalogue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in Parliament during the winter session's Vande Mataram debate earlier this month, referred to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay as “Bankim da”, prompting TMC MP Sougata Roy to intervene and urge the PM to "at least say Bankim babu". Modi corrected himself — only to soon falter again while mentioning Surya Sen, dropping the honorific “Master da”, a title etched into Bengal’s anti-colonial history.

Union culture and tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat added to the list when, during the same debate, he repeatedly referred to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay as “Bankim Das Chatterjee”, mixing surnames and honorifics in a way that drew protests from the Opposition and fresh ridicule from the TMC.

Former BJP national president J.P. Nadda has also been cited by the party for once claiming that Rabindranath Tagore was born in Santiniketan (his actual birthplace being Kolkata's Jorasanko) — an assertion TMC leaders frequently resurrect as shorthand for what they call Delhi’s cultural cluelessness about Bengal.

The latest round of mockery did not stop with Tagore. Trinamool also flagged Shah’s apparent stumble over Sri Aurobindo, noting that he referred to him as “Arvind” rather than “Rishi Aurobindo”, the name by which the revolutionary philosopher is widely revered in Bengal.

Reacting to the broader pattern, TMC MP and national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee asked whether leaders who “do not know Bengal’s history” could credibly seek the state’s support. “Those who insult Rabindranath, Bankimchandra and Swamiji (Vivekananda) — should Bengalis listen to their emotional appeals for the state?” he said.

In another post, the party summed up its position with the usual bite: “Rabindranath Tagore. Sachindra Nath Sanyal. Two legendary figures. Two completely different people. But how would you know the difference? Because you are an outsider. Stop insulting our celebrated personalities. And most importantly, stop putting yourself in such embarrassing situations.”

For the TMC, the recurring slips are less about pronunciation and more about exposure — moments when what it calls the BJP’s carefully curated displays of respect unravel, syllable by syllable.