{
  "id": 2693744,
  "title": "West Bengal: BJP State President Samik Bhattacharya Slams Sharmila Tagore Over Vande Mataram Remarks | VIDEO",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/west-bengal-bjp-state-president-samik-bhattacharya-slams-sharmila",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-23T00:50:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/west-bengal-bjp-state-president-samik-bhattacharya-slams-sharmila-tagore-over-vande-mataram-remarks-video"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kolkata, August 22, 2026: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya criticized actress Sharmila Tagore for her comments on Vande Mataram, specifically referencing the naming of a family member after Taimur. Tagore stated that the nation should limit the national anthem to the first two verses, as people who believe in a single God may not feel comfortable singing the entire song, which includes references to multiple deities. Bhattacharya responded that Sharmila Tagore's family had named their descendants after the invader Taimur, who forced people to convert to Islam and committed acts of violence, including rape. He stated that it was natural for Tagore to object to singing the full version of Vande Mataram.",
  "summary": "Kolkata, August 22, 2026: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya on Saturday slammed Sharmila Tagore over her remarks on ‘Vande Mataram’, referring to the naming of a member of her family after Taimur. Kolkata, West Bengal: Reacting to Actress Sharmila Tagore's statement on Vande Mataram, BJP State President Samik Bhattacharya says, \"It is the personal…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}