"Can I Call You Dada?": Modi's Witty Comeback Silences TMC MP in Parliament

In a rare unscripted moment during today's parliamentary debate on Vande Mataram, Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in a sharp exchange with Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy over the cultural etiquette of addressing Bengali icons. When Roy interrupted the PM to insist that composer Bankim Chandra Chatterjee be referred to as "Bankim Babu" instead of the colloquial "Bankim Da," Modi paused and quipped, "Can I call you dada, or is that also an issue?" The humorous retort, which drew laughter from the treasury benches, instantly went viral, defusing a tense cultural standoff but igniting a fresh political debate just months before the West Bengal elections.

The Context (How We Got Here)

The exchange occurred during a special 10-hour session marking the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. The BJP has been aggressively positioning itself as the true custodian of India's nationalist heritage, alleging that the Congress "diluted" the song to appease minorities in 1937. The TMC, guarding its turf in Bengal, has countered by accusing the BJP of appropriating Bengali icons without understanding their cultural nuances. Roy's objection was not merely grammatical; it was a political assertion that the "outsider" BJP does not grasp the "Bhadralok" sensibilities of Bengal, where "Babu" signifies respect and "Da" implies familiarity.

The Key Players (Who & So What)

Saugata Roy (TMC MP): The veteran professor-turned-politician. His interruption was a calculated move to assert Bengali cultural superiority, signaling that the TMC will fight the BJP on grounds of linguistic identity ("Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chay") rather than just policy.
Narendra Modi (Prime Minister): The rhetorical strategist. By using humor to deflect the critique, he avoided a trap. Instead of engaging in a debate on Bengali semantics—which he might lose—he reframed the interruption as petty nitpicking, portraying himself as a leader focused on national unity while the opposition focused on suffixes.
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee: The silent protagonist. The author of Vande Mataram has become a posthumous political asset. His legacy is now a battlefield where the BJP claims his Hindu nationalism and the TMC claims his Bengali intellect.

The BIGSTORY Reframe

While the headlines focus on the "Dada vs. Babu" banter, the deeper story is the "Linguistic Power Play." In a Lok Sabha dominated by Hindi, Roy's interruption was an act of linguistic sovereignty. It challenged the default assumption that Hindi speakers can adapt regional names to their own colloquialisms (like adding "Ji" or "Da" indiscriminately). By insisting on "Babu," Roy was drawing a boundary: you may rule Delhi, but you don't set the rules of respect in Bengal. This micro-aggression highlights the simmering tension between Hindi-centric nationalism and regional sub-nationalism that will define the 2026 Bengal elections.

The Implications (Why This Changes Things)

For the TMC, this moment reinforces their narrative that the BJP is culturally tone-deaf in Bengal. However, Modi's witty escape may blunt that attack among neutral voters who see Roy's point as pedantic. Strategically, it shifts the news cycle away from the opposition's substantive critiques of the government—like the SIR voter deletion controversy—and onto a symbolic culture war, a terrain where the BJP is comfortable.

The Closing Question (Now, Think About This)

If the Prime Minister of India needs permission to call a colleague "brother" in his own language, have we become too sensitive about our differences, or are we finally demanding respect for them?

FAQs

What does "Da" and "Babu" mean in Bengali? "Da" (short for dada) means "elder brother" and is a suffix used for familiarity and affection. "Babu" is a formal honorific, historically used for educated gentlemen. Saugata Roy argued that Bankim Chandra Chatterjee deserves the respectful "Babu" rather than the casual "Da."

Why did Modi say "Can I call you dada"? When Saugata Roy interrupted Modi's speech to correct him on using "Bankim Da," Modi wittily asked Roy if calling him "dada" (brother) would also be an issue. It was a rhetorical move to diffuse the tension with humor while acknowledging the correction.

How does this relate to the West Bengal elections? The exchange highlights the battle for "Bengali identity" ahead of the 2026 elections. The TMC portrays the BJP as "outsiders" who don't understand Bengali culture (hence the objection to "Da"), while the BJP tries to claim Bengali icons like Bankim Chandra for its nationalist narrative.

Is Vande Mataram 150 years old? Yes. The song "Vande Mataram" was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s (published in Anandamath in 1882). 2025 marks the 150th anniversary of its composition, which the BJP is celebrating to emphasize nationalism.

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Brajesh Mishra Associate Editor

Brajesh Mishra is an Associate Editor at BIGSTORY NETWORK, specializing in daily news from India with a keen focus on AI, technology, and the automobile sector. He brings sharp editorial judgment and a passion for delivering accurate, engaging, and timely stories to a diverse audience.