New Delhi, 22 August (H.S.): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Congress over the Vande Mataram controversy, accusing the opposition party of pursuing appeasement politics under the guise of patriotism. The BJP also questioned the resolution adopted by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on August 19.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday, party MP Dr Sambit Patra said the Congress's recent resolution recalled a decision taken by the Congress Working Committee in Calcutta in 1937, under which only two of the six stanzas of Vande Mataram were to be sung. He questioned the Congress over its position on the national song in its entirety.

Referring to an incident involving the singing of Vande Mataram at the Congress office on August 15, Patra said a video circulated on social media purportedly showed Sonia Gandhi saying “stop, stop” after two stanzas had been sung.

Patra said Vande Mataram was not merely a song but a symbol associated with India's freedom movement, national sentiment and the country's pride. He added that as the nation marks 150 years of Vande Mataram, there has been a strong sense of respect and emotional attachment to the song across the country.

He said a resolution honouring Vande Mataram was adopted at the first meeting of the newly appointed office-bearers held after the announcement of BJP national president Nitin Nabin's new team.

Patra said the singing of all six stanzas of Vande Mataram at the Red Fort under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government represented a message of respect for national sentiment.

He alleged that the people of the country had now understood the Congress's politics of appeasement and would respond to it.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar