New Delhi, Aug 20: Amid the ongoing controversy over the rendition of Vande Mataram and Union Home Minister Amit Shah targeting the Congress alleging it of indulging in appeasement politics, the grand old party on Thursday hit back saying that it is an emotional issue for it and the BJP is seeking political gains only.
Earlier in the day speaking to the media, Shah targeted Congress by saying the its decision to sing only two stanzas of Vande Mataram was “anti-national” and in open defiance of the law.
He also alleged that its decision to render only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram reflected appeasement politics, disrespected martyrs and undermined national unity.
During the Congress Working Committee, party’s highest decision making body meeting on Wednesday, some leaders raised the issue of Vande Mataram and party president Mallikarjun Kharge clearly stated the grand old party position, senior leader Jairam Ramesh said.
Hitting back at the Home Minister, Ramesh on Thursday said, “BJP tried to create a controversy on Vande matram. But this is a emotional issue for Congress party.”
The Congress leader said, “What Home Minister said today shows that they are only seeking political gains out of it.”
He asserted that the issue today is paper leak, unemployment, Chanda Chori.
“But on these issues the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and Home Minister are silent. Through Vande Matram, they are trying to divert the attention. BJP ke paas nakali or jhootha rashtravaad hai (they are fraudulent nationalists),” he added.
Targeting Shah, he also said, “How can they say that it was an insult? Did we raised slogans against it?”
Earlier in the day, Shah termed the CWC’s move on Wednesday to feature only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram at party functions, in line with the All India Congress Committee resolution of 1937, as “anti-national”.
“I want to remind the entire country that in 1937, the Congress party, for the sake of Muslim appeasement, split Vande Mataram into two pieces, laying the foundation for the country’s Partition, and from there, the two-nation theory gained strength. Ultimately, the country was partitioned, and Pakistan was born,” Shah said.
The “historic mistake” was corrected in the 150th year of the emergence of the National Song by the Narendra Modi government, in an effort to “strengthen national integration by singing Bankim babu’s (Bankim Chandra Chatterjee) immortal creation in full”. “A decision was made to sing it completely in all government programmes, and this decision has also been given legal backing,” the Minister said.
The Congress chose to disregard the initiative, Shah said, confirming its “extreme policy of appeasement”.
“For the sake of vote banks, they have not only disrespected 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,” he said.
“Today, the Congress is adhering to its 1937 resolution and rejecting the Parliament’s Act. Under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, the party is once again vigorously advancing the politics of appeasement,” Shah added.
Ramesh also targeted the government on NCERT inclusion of BJP-RSS affiliated in political science committee.
He said, “On June 17, Rahul Gandhi identified three ills of Indian education system- privitazation, centralisation, Sanghification. Earlier, in an op-ed, CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that Indian education system suffers with three Cs- Centralisation, commercialization and communalisation.
“What NCERT has done, this is being happening from last 12 years. But the real sutradhar is RSS. On one hand, they are doing Shuddhikaran, which is a sin and on the other hand, they are doing Sanghikaran, which is a curse,” he added.
Meanwhile, top a Congress source said that during the CWC meeting yesterday, Rahul Gandhi instructed all the Congress led state Chief Ministers to bring in reforms in education system.
The source said that the instructions from bringing the academic calendar was also given along with the recruitment calendar as well as the Rohit Vermula act must be implemented.
The source said that exams conducted by state agencies, need new law.
“And by September end, all these reports will be presented to the Congress President,” the source said.
The source also said that commercialization has started in private investment schools as well.
“The way in which schools are getting shut in many states, what steps can be taken by the state governments,” the source said.
The source also said that ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ campaign of the party won’t be restricted in just the big cities but it will be done at 800 places.
“Rahul Gandhi and Kharge will also participate in many of these programmes,” the source said.
The source further said that yesterday, it has been decided that protests on Ram Mandir Chanda Chori issue should not be restricted to Uttar Pradesh only.
The source also pointed out that during th CWC meeting, KC Venugopal said that it is not Chanda Chori, it is “Ghar Ghar Chori” as donations came from all across the country.
The source also said that when it was discussed that a Supreme Court monitored probe should be done in Chanda Chori issue, a senior lawyer and CWC member suggested that It should be Supreme Court judge with “unimpeachable integrity”.
The source also said that the Congress governments will approach the Supreme Court against Mines and Minerals Act as they will file a petition in the top court against the Act in the next few days.
The source said that Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala will challenge Mines and Minerals act.
Even as the Congress president was deeply hurt by the purification of the Haldwani ground where he addressed a public meeting just few days back, the source said that Kharge praised Uttrakhand Congress.unit and Chandrakant Handore for raising the issue but he stated that it should have been raised in a more aggressive manner.
Kharge, the source said that also said that those who write in media, should have written something about this ‘Shuddhikaran’ issue as well.
