Speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi, Mallikarjun Kharge defended the Congress’s practice of singing the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, saying the shorter version was agreed upon in 1937 by national leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Congress president and Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Saturday hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the row surrounding Vande Mataram, questioning the Centre’s decision to call the Congress’s position “anti-national” and an instance of ‘appeasement politics.’
Speaking to reporters in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi, Kharge defended the Congress’s practice of singing the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, saying the shorter version was agreed upon in 1937 by national leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Kharge said the Congress had followed the decision for nearly 90 years and questioned why the issue was being raised now. “If we sing as per what they said — are we Desh Drohis (anti-national)?” he asked, questioning whether the leaders who backed the two-stanza version would also be considered “anti-national”.
Kharge said the Congress had never opposed Vande Mataram and that the party and its Seva Dal had been singing it for years. He also drew a comparison with the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, saying its original five stanzas are not all sung today.
He accused the BJP and the Narendra Modi-led government of using the issue to pursue “politics of polarisation”. Taking a swipe at Shah, Kharge asked why a decision on singing the full version had not been taken earlier despite Shah having served as home minister for years.
Kharge also criticised those targeting Nehru and other leaders of the freedom struggle, saying the focus should instead be on education, employment, inflation, investment and improving the lives of the poor.