Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticised the Congress on Thursday over its decision to continue singing only the first two stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram, calling the move anti-national and linking it back to the party’s 1937 resolution.
Shah Accuses Congress of Laying Groundwork for Partition
Speaking to ANI in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, Shah said the Congress Working Committee had taken an anti-national decision by following its 1937 resolution to sing only two stanzas of Vande Mataram, alleging that this earlier decision to divide the song for the appeasement of Muslims had laid the foundation for the partition of the country. He said the Modi government had since corrected this “mistake” by giving Vande Mataram a legal framework.
Shah Alleges Continued Appeasement Politics Under Rahul Gandhi
Shah said Congress’s latest decision confirmed its policy of appeasement, arguing that the party had insulted both Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s creation and the lakhs of people who sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom. He noted that Congress was reviving its 1937 resolution while rejecting a law passed by Parliament, expressing surprise that the party, under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, was once again pursuing what he described as appeasement politics. He urged the country to unite against Congress’s decision and declared that BJP condemned the move.
Congress Accuses BJP of Diverting Attention from Real Issues
Responding to Shah’s remarks, Congress national general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal alleged that BJP was attempting to shift focus away from genuine issues such as paper leaks, donation theft and Chinese incursion in Arunachal Pradesh. He said Congress had been reciting Vande Mataram since 1937, for over 90 years, and questioned what was new about their position, adding that while BJP was not part of the freedom struggle, Vande Mataram remained an emotional issue for Congress but a political one for the BJP.
Controversy Follows Independence Day Rendition of Full Song
Shah’s remarks came days after all six stanzas of Vande Mataram were played for the first time during Independence Day celebrations, both before and after PM Modi’s address from the Red Fort. At a Congress Working Committee meeting on Wednesday, the party’s highest decision-making body resolved to continue singing only the first two stanzas, in line with its 1937 resolution and the position adopted by the Constituent Assembly. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge elaborated on the matter by reading out the original 1937 resolution, noting that Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose had approved singing only the first two stanzas on the advice of Rabindranath Tagore.
