Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to Bankim Chandra Chatterjee as “Bankim Da”, prompting an objection from TMC MP Sougata Roy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered an impassioned speech in Parliament on Monday, marking the 150-year anniversary of Vande Mataram. In the address to the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister referred to Bankim Chandra Chatterjee as “Bankim Da”, prompting an objection from TMC MP Sougata Roy.

Modi was recounting the rise of the Swadeshi movement when he said, “This spirit created by Bankim Da…” Roy immediately interrupted to point out that “Da” was not the appropriate term to use.

Vande Mataram, India’s national song, was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, one of 19th-century Bengal’s most influential literary figures. In Bengali, however, “Da” is used as a

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