# BJP’s Samik Bhattacharya attacks Sharmila Tagore on Vande Mataram 2026-08-23T02:02:15+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet BJP West Bengal president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya on Saturday slammed actor Sharmila Tagore over her remarks on the national song 'Vande Mataram', linking it to her family naming a descendant after Timur. Bhattacharya said it is natural for Tagore to object to singing the full song given her family named a child after the foreign invader and temple-looter Taimur, who he said forced religious conversions and raped women. Tagore had earlier said the nation should stick to only the first two stanzas of 'Vande Mataram' because people who believe in one God may not be comfortable singing the entire song, which mentions many Gods. Bhattacharya's remarks came at a press conference in Kolkata, where he questioned her right to speak on the national song. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The dispute over the full version of Vande Mataram is not new. In 2006, a similar controversy erupted when then Gujarat governor Nawal Kishore Sharma objected to singing the full song in schools, citing its depiction of multiple deities. The matter reached the Bombay High Court in 2017, which held that no one can be forced to sing it. Bhattacharya's attack shifts the debate from religious freedom to historical grievances, using Tagore's family name as a political weapon ahead of Bengal's local elections due in 2027. The actor has not responded yet. ## Coverage - freepressjournal.in Leads with BJP official's attack on a public figure, foregrounding the controversial personal link rather than the policy or cultural debate. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: BJP West Bengal, Samik Bhattacharya, Sharmila Tagore, Vande Mataram Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/bjps-samik-bhattacharya-attacks-sharmila-tagore-on-vande-mataram/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/bjps-samik-bhattacharya-attacks-sharmila-tagore-on-vande-mataram/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/