Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched a scathing attack on the Congress party regarding the ongoing controversy surrounding the national song, Vande Mataram. The dispute erupted after the Congress party clarified that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram would be sung during its official programs. This decision stands in stark contrast to a law passed by Parliament, which mandates the singing of the entire song. Amit Shah, while addressing the issue, accused the Congress of reviving a policy of appeasement that he claims dates back to the pre-independence era.
The Historical Allegation: 1937 and the Foundation of Partition
Amit Shah stated that the Congress party had laid the foundation for the partition of the country as far back as 1937. According to the Home Minister, the party had divided Vande Mataram into two parts at that time specifically to satisfy a policy of appeasement. He argued that this historical decision provided significant momentum to the two-nation theory, which eventually led to the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan. Shah emphasized that the nation has already witnessed the devastating consequences of splitting Vande Mataram into two pieces once before and asserted that the country wouldn't allow such a situation to arise again.
The Independence Day Incident and Congress's Clarification
The controversy gained momentum following an incident during the Independence Day celebrations at the Congress office, while during the event, the full version of Vande Mataram was played. Observers noted that Sonia Gandhi appeared unhappy or dissatisfied during the rendition. Later, Congress leaders issued a clarification, stating that she was actually asking for a chair for Mallikarjun Kharge because he had been standing for a long time. However, just four days after this incident, the Congress party officially announced that its leaders would only sing the first two stanzas of the song. Amit Shah termed this decision by the Congress Working Committee as surprising and anti-national.
Insult to Martyrs and the 150th Anniversary
Amit Shah highlighted that the Narendra Modi government has worked to rectify this historical mistake. He mentioned that the government decided to sing the full version of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's immortal creation in all official functions to strengthen national integration, while this decision was also given legal backing through an Act of Parliament. Shah stated that the song is currently in its 150th year of manifestation, and by choosing to ignore the full version, the Congress is insulting the author and the millions of martyrs who went to the gallows chanting Vande Mataram during the freedom struggle. He accused the Congress of prioritizing its vote bank and the policy of gross appeasement over the respect due to those who spent years in jail for the country's independence.
Defiance of Parliamentary Authority
The Home Minister expressed surprise that the Congress party is choosing to follow its own party resolution from 1937 while rejecting an Act passed by the Parliament of India. He specifically pointed towards the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, stating that under him, the Congress is once again aggressively pushing the politics of appeasement. Shah appealed to the citizens of the country to raise their voices against this decision. He declared that in an independent India, 80 years after the original 1937 decision, the public wouldn't tolerate any opposition to the corrections made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Bharatiya Janata Party has strongly condemned the Congress's decision and vowed to oppose it both among the public and within legislative houses.