Amit Shah Targets Congress Over Vande Mataram Row, Calls Stand ‘Anti-National’
NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched a sharp attack on the Congress over its stand on the national song “Vande Mataram”, accusing the opposition party of compromising on a symbol associated with India’s freedom struggle.
Speaking during a public programme, Shah criticised the Congress Working Committee’s decision to adhere to the practice of singing only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram. He described the decision as “anti-national” and alleged that it reflected the party’s appeasement politics.
Shah said Vande Mataram holds a special place in India’s national movement and accused Congress of disrespecting the song and the sentiments associated with it. He also urged people to oppose what he described as the Congress’s position on the national song.
The controversy has intensified following an incident during the Congress’s Independence Day programme, where BJP leaders alleged that the rendition of Vande Mataram was interrupted. Congress, however, has rejected the allegations and said the full version was sung at the event. Congress leaders have also cited the party’s historical decision to sing selected opening stanzas at its programmes.
The issue has now emerged as another major point of confrontation between the BJP and Congress, with both sides defending their respective positions on the national song and its historical significance.
The political dispute comes amid a broader debate over the status and respect accorded to Vande Mataram, further intensifying the ideological differences between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress.
