Now Reading: BJP, Congress clash over Sonia Gandhi’s Vande Mataram reaction
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BJP, Congress clash over Sonia Gandhi’s Vande Mataram reaction
The BJP on Saturday accused Sonia Gandhi of objecting to the full rendition of Vande Mataram at the Congress’s Independence Day event. Congress denied the charge, saying Gandhi was asking workers to…
The Story in Brief
The BJP on Saturday accused Sonia Gandhi of objecting to the full rendition of Vande Mataram at the Congress’s Independence Day event. Congress denied the charge, saying Gandhi was asking workers to bring a chair for party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who had been standing for some time. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the full version was sung at the event at Indira Bhawan.
The BJP cited video footage to criticise Gandhi and other Congress leaders. Ramesh said Congress traditionally used the opening stanzas on Rabindranath Tagore’s advice in 1937, but denied any attempt to interrupt Saturday’s rendition. The dispute follows Parliament’s passage of a law placing Vande Mataram on the same legal footing as Jana Gana Mana.
The Indian Opinion
The BJP’s claim rests on an interpretation of video footage, while Congress has offered a specific explanation involving Kharge’s chair. Neither side should turn a moment at a party event into proof of patriotism or disloyalty. The older dispute over which stanzas Congress sessions sing is a matter of record, but it does not establish what Gandhi intended on Saturday. The useful test is simple: does the complete recording clearly show an instruction to stop the song? If not, the charge remains unproven.
Sources (3): rediff.com, thefederal.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
