Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized the Congress party on Thursday for its choice to sing only the first two stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram at its events. He labeled this decision as ‘anti-national’ and accused the party of engaging in vote-bank appeasement. Shah’s remarks come amid ongoing political tensions as parties prepare for upcoming elections.
Shah’s statement came a day after the Congress Working Committee ( CWC ) decided to abide by its 1937 resolution on Vande Mataram and sing only two stanzas of the national song, instead of its full rendition, at all party events. “For the sake of vote banks, they have not only insulted Bankim Babu’s immortal creation but also insulted those millions of martyrs who went to the gallows for the country’s freedom while chanting the slogan of Vande Mataram…Today, the Congress Party is adhering to its party’s 1937 Resolution and rejecting Parliament’s Act.
Under Rahul Gandhi ’s leadership, the Congress Party is once again vigorously advancing the politics of appeasement,” he said. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit back, calling Shah’s statement “fake and untruth nationalism”. He said the law did not prevent political parties from singing the original version of Vande Mataram.
Shah links Congress’ 1937 stand to Partition, vote-bank politics
The Congress Party made the decision yesterday to disregard exactly this. “…The CWC has taken a surprising and anti-national decision. “…A decision was made to sing it completely in all government programs, and this decision has also been given legal backing.
Following their party’s 1937 Resolution, they have decided to sing only two stanzas of the great Vande Mataram song. I want to remind the entire country that in 1937, the Congress Party, for the sake of Muslim appeasement, split Vande Mataram…laying the foundation for the country’s partition, and from there, the two-nation theory gained strength,” Shah said.
In a statement posted on X, Shah said the Congress decision was an “open defiance of the law” and linked the 1937 decision to the sentiments that eventually led to Partition in 1947. The home minister also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi -led government had corrected the “historic mistake” in the 150th anniversary year of Vande Mataram by deciding that the song would be sung in full at government programmes. He said the decision had also been given legal backing. This decision of the Congress only confirms their extreme policy of appeasement,” Shah said.
