The Himachal Pradesh Assembly’s Monsoon Session began amid a major uproar over the singing of the national song, Vande Mataram, with the House being adjourned within 10 minutes of the proceedings.
Congress Defends National Symbols Amid BJP Accusations
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has accused the BJP of disrespecting the national anthem. In response, Sukhu emphasized that the Congress party holds both the national anthem and the national song in high regard.
Parmar also referred to the Congress Working Committee’s reported decision to sing only two stanzas of Vande Mataram, alleging that this was against the law passed by Parliament and amounted to an insult to freedom fighters. He alleged that the BJP appeared divided in the absence of Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur and claimed that the ruckus was an attempt to sideline him. BJP MLA Vipin Singh Parmar, however, accused the Congress of disrespecting Vande Mataram.
Sukhu also said neither the government nor the Speaker had refused to allow the national song to be sung in full. Parmar said the BJP had made a humble request to sing the national song at the beginning of the session, but permission was denied. He said the Himachal Assembly would not function according to rules decided by the Congress Working Committee.
He accused the BJP of raising the issue for political gains and alleged that the Opposition was not respecting the traditions of the Assembly. He also accused the BJP of appearing leaderless in the House on the opening day of the Monsoon Session.
Sukhu said the established practice is to sing the national anthem at the beginning of a session and the national song at its conclusion. He said the Opposition started creating a ruckus as soon as the proceedings began, leaving the House with no option but to adjourn. Pathania maintained that the Himachal Assembly would function according to its rules and not according to what he termed the Opposition’s “dictatorship”.
