BJP Protests in West Bengal Over TMCP Cadres Burning Tagore’s Photograph

Rapid Summary

• On September 8, 2025, BJP accused a trinamool Congress (TMC) student wing leader, A.B. Soyel, of burning Rabindranath Tagore’s portrait during protests at Chanchal College in Malda district, West Bengal.
• The video showed Soyel burning images of Tagore alongside photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah during demonstrations against attacks on Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states.
• TMC responded by expelling soyel and dissolving the local TMCP unit later that evening.
• State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya called the act a betrayal of “Bengali Asmita” while sharing the video online.Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari also demanded Soyel’s arrest and a statement from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
• Adhikari attempted to garland Tagore’s statue at Rabindra Sadan but found it locked.the West Bengal BJP announced statewide protests starting September 9 over the incident.
• Recently,Chief Minister Banerjee had held marches with Tagore’s photograph to emphasize her commitment to protecting Bengali identity amidst debates on cultural significance in the Legislative Assembly.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The controversy reflects heightened sensitivity around Bengali cultural identity amid broader national political tensions. Burning Rabindranath Tagore’s portrait-an emblematic figure for Bengalis-is seen as deeply offensive across all political lines.While TMC acted quickly by expelling Soyel and disbanding his local unit, this incident likely provides an opening for BJP to highlight discrepancies between TMC rhetoric on preserving Bengali culture versus alleged insults by its party members.By leveraging visual symbolism like Tagore portraits in their protest strategy-echoing tactics previously employed by CM Mamata Banerjee-BJP appears focused on consolidating regional support against perceived injustices under TMC governance or disruptions in inter-state relations affecting Bengalis.

the episode underscores how emotive issues surrounding cultural icons can escalate into notable political conflicts capable of reshaping public discourse before key elections or policymaking periods.

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