Mahua Moitra fact-checks Amit Shah over ‘Rashtra Geet’ on Rabindra Jayanti

The TMC and Mahua Moitra fact-checked Amit Shah after he purportedly said Rabindranath Tagore wrote the “Rashtriya Geet” (national song) of two countries.

The Trinamool Congress and its MP Mahua Moitra on Tuesday fact-checked Union home minister Amit Shah after he purportedly said Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore wrote the “Rashtra Geet” (national song) of two countries, during an event in Kolkata on the occasion of Rabindra Jayanti.

Union home minister Amit Shah signs the visitor's book during his visit to Rabindranath Tagore's birthplace Jorasanko Thakurbari on the latter's birth anniversary in Kolkata on Tuesday. (Amit Shah twitter)

In a video clip, shared by both TMC and Moitra, Shah is heard saying, “In the entire world, Kabi Guru (Tagore) is the only poet, who wrote the Rashtra Geet of the two nations.”

Tagore wrote the national anthems - “Jana Gana Mana” for India and “Amar Sonar Bangla” for Bangladesh. Jana Gana Mana is called 'Rashtra Gaan' in Hindi.

India's National Song (Rashtra Geet) is “Vande Mataram”, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji. It was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana Gana Mana.

Taking a dig at Shah's speech, Moitra tweeted, “Errr…sorry Hon’ble @AmitShah ji but India’s राष्‍ट्रीय गीत is Vande Mataram composed by Bankim Ch Chatterjee while Bangladesh’s is Amar Sonar Bangla by Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore would call you a “ যা তা ”. Please go back to school.”

The TMC also reacted to the video clip. “Once again, @BJP4India has proved that their leaders know nothing about the country's history. On the auspicious occasion of Rabindra Jayanti, Union Home Minister @AmitShah claims that the NATIONAL SONGS of India and Bangladesh were written by Rabindranath Tagore! This is what happens when you spend more time revising history rather than studying it,” the party, headed by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, tweeted.

Earlier, Shah, who is on a day-long visit to West Bengal to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Tagore, visited the ancestral house of the bard in the metropolis and offered floral tributes. Shah, accompanied by senior state BJP leaders, arrived at Jorasakho Thakurbari in north Kolkata around 11am.

“Every word Gurudev Rabindranath Thakur wrote liberated India's spirit to dream of independence amidst the chaos and pain of slavery, as his enchanting wisdom guides our soul even today. Paid my humble tribute to Gurudev on his birth anniversary at Jorasanko Thakurbari, Kolkata,” the home minister tweeted.