A remark by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament referring to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay , who penned the national song 'Vande Mataram', as 'Bankim da' has become the latest political flashpoint and stirred a cultural debate in poll-bound Bengal. During the discussion, TMC MP Saugata Roy immediately objected to PM Modi's remark, urging him to use "Bankim Babu" instead.

In the Bengali language, 'Da' is the short form of 'dada', meaning elder brother. We will explore the context later in the article.

Nevertheless, the exchange quickly escalated into a political tussle. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not let slip such a golden political opportunity to tear into the BJP ahead of next year's polls and sought an apology from the Prime Minister. On Tuesday, at a rally, Mama

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