Union Home Minister Amit Shah (L) and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.
Credit: Sansad TV via PTI Photo
New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that the decision to use the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram as national song was collectively taken by stalwarts like Gurudev Rabindrnath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chnadra Bose, countering Union Home Minister Amit Shah who said the politics of appeasement started when the grand old party dropped parts of the song.
Initiating the debate in the Rajya Sabha, Shah said “The policy of appeasement started by breaking Vande Mataram. Had it not happened, the country would not have been divided.”
Mounting an attack on the Nehru-Gandhis, the minister said, ”In Vande Mataram’s 50th year, Nehru cut the song in two. In its 100th year, India was in the Emergency period. Those who wanted to sing Vande Mataram were jailed by Indira ji.”
In his response Kharge said Gurudev’s proposal was endorsed by Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Govind Ballav Pant, Rajendra Prasad, Acharya JB Kripalni and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad among others.
"You are insulting all these tall leaders. It was their combined decision. Was Nehruji alone in the Congress Working Committee? Why do you target Nehruji alone?" the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said.
The Congress President also reminded Shah that Tagore had stated that he had "no difficulty" in dissociating the first two stanzas of the poem with the rest of the song.
“You can’t tarnish Nehru Ji's image. Jawahar Lal Nehru was a global leader. You would not reach such a height,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shah also responded to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s charge in the Lok Sabha that BJP was holding the Vande Mataram discussion only because of the upcoming Bengal polls. The minister said the national song was not linked to Bengal alone.
“Some people feel Vande Mataram is being discussed because Bengal polls are approaching. They want to reduce Vande Mataram's glory by linking it with elections,” the minister said.
“While Vande Mataram’s creator, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhaya was born in Bengal, the song wasn’t restricted to Bengal, or to India. Anywhere in the world, when Indian freedom fighters met in hideouts, they chanted Vande Mataram. It became a rallying cry during the freedom movement and remains a source of inspiration,” Shah said.
Kharge said the true homage to Bharat Mata would only be paid when the Parliament would discuss the issues of common people, but the Prime Minister was holding the Vande Mataram debate keeping Bengal elections in mind.
The ruling dispensation wanted to divert people's attention from the real challenges like financial problems, rising unemployment, poor economy and fall in the value of the rupee, he said.