Bengal's Vande Mataram Row: A Symptom of a Wider Fracture The recent controversy surrounding the recitation of Vande Mataram at Congress headquarters on Independence Day has exposed deep seated tensions in India's body politic, particularly in West Bengal.
The entire state is "fuming," suggesting that something more profound than a minor skirmish is at play. Suvendu Adhikari, Chief Minister of West Bengal, has led the charge against Sonia Gandhi and the Congress party.
Beneath his outburst lies a complex web of regional and national identities that have long been simmering in India's politics.