On the celebration of the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’ by the Union government, Sajal Chattopadhyay, great-grandson of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that this should have happened a long time ago.
He accused the Mamata Banerjee led West Bengal government of neglecting Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, his contributions, and his extended family.
He said that his great-grandfather and his song ‘Vande Mataram’ have been neglected by the West Bengal government for a long time. He also said that if anyone from Delhi comes, such as the Home Minister or another important government official, they always meet the family, ask about their well-being, and discuss ideas to promote the song ‘Vande Mataram’. But the CM didn’t invite them once.
Speaking to media, he said, “This should have happened long ago. I salute Narendra Modi for it. Vande Mataram is considered the national mantra. The mantra was inculcated in the national freedom struggle. No one has done anything for my grandfather until now. At a time when the next generation is forgetting this (Vande Mataram), what Modi ji has done is good. I feel proud.
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: Sajal Chattopadhyay, great-grandson of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, says, "This should have happened long ago. Vande Mataram is considered the national mantra. No one has done anything for my grandfather until now. At a time when the next… pic.twitter.com/L1tQSTjkqx
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2025
She (CM Mamata Banerjee) hasn’t done anything yet; she should have done it earlier. She is the chief minister; she could have done with that much power. There have been no efforts from the side of this government. If someone from Delhi, Amit Shah, or anyone else comes, they ask about us. They call us personally.”
He said he isn’t stating political reasons, but is just expressing his truth.
He added, “We are not political people. We don’t do politics. We only speak the truth. When Amit Shah ji came in 2018, he treated me with a lot of respect, personally met me at Birla Sabhaghar, and asked whether my family was facing any problems and what should be done to propagate Vande Mataram. CM Madam hasn’t invited us yet. Bankim Babu is neglected. The Vande Mataram he wrote contains the names of all the Hindu gods and goddesses, which is why it was banned. Just like Bankim Babu was neglected, his family is being neglected.”
He said that there is not even a ‘Bhavan’ or university named after his great-grandfather. But Rabindranath Tagore was always acknowledged with such honours. He said that he only wants the future generations to know about Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and value his contributions.
“Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was India’s first graduate, but there’s still nothing in his name in the country. There’s a university named after Rabindranath Tagore. What’s the problem with having a university named after him? There’s Rabindra Bhavan. Is there a Bankim Bhavan? If the central government does this, future generations will know what Vande Mataram is, who wrote it, and that it was Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. If there’s a university, people there will also know who Bankim Babu was”, he said.
(with inputs from ANI)
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