Assam has found itself at the centre of a fresh controversy after Bangladesh’s national anthem, Amar Sonar Bangla, was sung at an Indian National Congress event in the Karimganj district. The incident occurred on Monday in Sribhumi town during a gathering of the Congress’ Seva Dal unit. A video from the programme soon went viral on social media, sparking public outrage and escalating into a major political storm.

The state-ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to hit on the Congress. Assam Minister Ashok Singhal shared the video on X (formerly Twitter) and accused the Congress of promoting a “Greater Bangladesh” vote-bank agenda. He claimed the act was part of a longer pattern of demographic change in Assam. “Now it’s clear why Congress, for decades, allowed and encouraged illegal Miya infiltration into Assam – to change the state’s demography for vote-bank politics, creating a ‘Greater Bangladesh’,” he said.

On its part, the BJP’s Assam unit called the Congress “Bangladesh-obsessed.” Their post highlighted that just days earlier Bangladesh published a map showing Assam and other north-eastern states as part of its territory, and now, they said, Congress leaders were singing Bangladesh’s anthem in Assam. “If, after this, someone still can’t see the agenda at play, then they’re either blind, complicit or both,” the BJP message read.

The Congress, however, rejected the accusations. They maintained the song was not meant as Bangladesh’s national anthem in that context, but rather a popular piece of Bengali music by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, a Rabindra Sangeet, and dismissed the row as politically motivated.

The controversy has found strong resonance on social media too. Many users demanded swift action from the Assam government. One tweet read: “Not a law student, but even common sense says this is treason. If true, these people have no right to live under the Indian flag, hope the government acts fast and sets an example.” Another said: “Shame on them… having a different ideology is OK, but this is not acceptable.”

The incident has ignited multiple issues, from concerns about identity and nationalism in Assam, to the politics of immigration and demography, to the relationship between cultural expression and national allegiance. In a state like Assam, which has deep links with Bangladesh and has long grappled with migration and citizenship issues, every action carries layered meaning.