West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly insulting legendary novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay by referring to him as “Bankim da” in Parliament, and accused BJP of repeatedly denigrating Bengal’s cultural icons and freedom fighters.

Addressing a public rally in Cooch Behar district, Banerjee said the author of the national song Vande Mataram was not shown the “minimum respect” he deserved by being addressed casually.

“The person who wrote the national song was disrespected. You should bow your head and ask for forgiveness from the people. Yet you won’t be forgiven, because you have disrespected the country’s history and freedom struggle,” she said.

The controversy erupted after Modi, during a discussion

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