Vande Mataram row: BJP protests in Srinagar against Congress leaders

The BJP held protests in Srinagar over alleged disrespect shown to Vande Mataram by senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, during Independence Day celebrations, demanding an apology for the purported insult.

BJP Protests in Srinagar

The BJP held a protest outside the Congress office in Srinagar on Sunday over the alleged disrespect towards Vande Mataram during the Congress' Independence Day celebrations. Jammu and Kashmir BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur alleged that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge showed disrespect towards the national song during the party's Independence Day programme.

"As the Congress was preparing to hoist the Tricolour on Independence Day, the National Song was played, yet Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge showed disrespect towards it," Thakur said.

He said the BJP was holding protests across the country and demanding an apology from the Congress leadership over what he described as an insult to the national song. "The BJP is protesting across the country today, demanding that they apologise for this insult, for this has always been the Congress's pattern and tradition. They have repeatedly disrespected the nation's National Song," Thakur said.

Thakur also alleged that the Congress had earlier removed certain lines from Vande Mataram at the behest of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and accused the party of demonstrating the same mentality again. "Indeed, the Congress is the very party that, at Muhammad Ali Jinnah's behest, had certain lines removed from the song. Today, they have once again demonstrated that same mentality, leading them to show such disrespect," he said.

Formal Complaint Lodged, Criticism Continues

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have lodged a formal complaint against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi at the Urwa Police Station in Karnataka on Sunday, following a controversy during the recitation of the national song Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi on Independence Day.

The controversy erupted after visuals from the Independence Day programme at the Congress headquarters showed senior party leaders speaking among themselves while Vande Mataram was being recited. BJP leaders have criticised their conduct, alleging that it amounted to disrespect towards the National Song.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Sunday criticised the Congress leadership, alleging that the opposition party harbours deep discomfort and disrespect toward the national song, 'Vande Mataram'. Targeting Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, he said their visible discomfort during the event revealed their true position. "Yesterday, the Congress revealed its true face to the country and the world. They harbour such hatred for 'Vande Mataram'... You saw how uncomfortable Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge became yesterday the moment the full version of 'Vande Mataram' was played... When they saw it had been recorded on camera, they tried to give explanations," said the BJP leader.

Congress Responds to Allegations

Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal asserted that his party respects the 'Vande Mataram' and accused the BJP of using the national song and the freedom struggle as political weapons.

Elaborating on the controversy at the AICC headquarters on Independence Day, Venugopal said the incident was a communication issue and maintained that Congress has respect for Vande Mataram. Speaking to reporters, Venugopal said, "For the BJP, everything is political. For us, it is emotional. What happened at the AICC headquarters was a communication issue. We are people who respect Vande Mataram. The Congress has a clear stand on Vande Mataram, and you will understand it in due course." (ANI)

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