KOLKATA – After the Trinamool Congress’s famous election song “Khela Hobe” (which means “the game is on”) was played during West Bengal’s official Independence Day celebration, there has been a political issue. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had written new lyrics and sung on the track, was in charge of the ceremony.
The BJP was quick to criticize the decision, saying that a partisan phrase shouldn’t be used at a national event. Debjit Sarkar, a spokesperson for the Bengal BJP, said that using the song was wrong. He said, “On a day when PM Modi gave a strong speech about infiltration, our CM used TMC’s political slogan from Bangladesh.” The phrase “Khela Hobe” comes from Bangladeshi politics. In 2013, a politician from the Awami League made it famous, and the TMC used it as a rallying cry during the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.
Jay Prakash Majumdar, a spokesperson for the TMC, responded to the BJP’s criticism by saying that if “Khela Hobe” is bad because it comes from Bangladesh, then the same argument might be used against other patriotic songs that are also popular. He mentioned “Saare Jahan Se Achha,” a well-known patriotic song by the poet Muhammad Iqbal. This song is particularly controversial because Iqbal eventually supported the idea of a separate nation-state for Muslims.
The Chief Minister took a shot at the national government during her remarks at the ceremony. She said, “Even though India became independent 78 years ago, the people are not really free under the rule of the fascist BJP.” The song has become a political issue, which shows that the two parties in the state are still at odds.