Congress President Defends Historic Decision on Vande Mataram Against BJP's Criticism of Nehru

BJP has accused the Congress of 'dividing' the national song authored by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

New Delhi:

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday launched a strong critique against BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing them of disrespecting Jawaharlal Nehru. Kharge clarified that the decision to adopt only the first two stanzas of 'Vande Mataram' as the national song was a collective determination made by prominent leaders including Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.

In response to BJP's allegations that Congress had 'divided' Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's composition, Kharge, who serves as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, countered by asserting that Congress leaders have consistently chanted 'Vande Mataram' throughout history.

Following Home Minister Amit Shah's accusation that appeasement politics motivated the decision to utilize only two stanzas of the poem as the national song, Kharge began his address by proudly proclaiming 'Vande Mataram'.

"We have always been singing Vande Mataram. But those who did not sing Vande Mataram have also started singing it now. It is the power of Vande Mataram. It is a national festival, not a debate," Kharge stated.

"When the non-cooperation movement was initiated in 1921, Congress members were being imprisoned while chanting Vande Mataram... What were you doing? You were working for the British," Kharge pointed out.

"You are teaching patriotism to us? You were scared of patriotism and were serving the British. PM Modi leaves no opportunity to insult Jawaharlal Nehru, nor does the Home Minister... I heard the Prime Minister blamed Nehru for stanzas being removed..." Kharge emphasized that the resolution to sing only two stanzas of the poem, which was passed by the Congress working committee, was not Nehru's solitary decision. Leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Madan Mohan Malaviya, and Acharya JB Kripalani were present during this decision-making process.

The Congress president also referenced Tagore, who had stated he found "no difficulty" in separating the first two stanzas from the remainder of the song.

"You are insulting all these distinguished leaders. It was their combined decision. Why do you target Nehruji alone?" Kharge questioned.