Vande Mataram Row: The political row over the alleged disruption of Vande Mataram at the Congress headquarters on Independence Day intensified on Monday after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge
only sang the first two stanzas of the national song at a party event in Goa.
Kharge, along with other Congress leaders, sang Vande Mataram before the start of the Goa Congress convention. The leaders, however, sang only the first two stanzas of the song.
The incident came hours after the Goa BJP accused the Congress of disrespecting the national song and attacked the party over the August 15 controversy involving Sonia Gandhi.
Addressing a press conference in Panaji, Goa BJP spokesperson Daji Krishna Salkar alleged that the Congress had curtailed the singing of Vande Mataram in 1937.
"The way they split Vande Mataram in 1937, they partitioned the country in 1947," Salkar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"The Congress should admit that they don't like singing Vande Mataram," he added, accusing the Congress of hating the national song.
The BJP's latest attack comes amid a growing political controversy over an incident at the Congress headquarters on August 15, when Vande Mataram was being played in the presence of senior party leaders.
BJP Targets Sonia Gandhi Over Vande Mataram
The controversy began during the Independence Day event at the Congress headquarters, where Vande Mataram was being played in the presence of several senior party leaders, including Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi.
A video from the event showed Sonia Gandhi appearing to object to something as the national song was being played. She was also seen speaking to people around her.
The BJP has accused Sonia Gandhi of disrespecting the national song and alleged that she wanted the rendition to be stopped. The Congress, however, has rejected the allegations and said there was no attempt to interrupt or stop the rendition.
The controversy has also drawn criticism from BJP MLA Umitro Chatterjee, a direct descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who wrote Vande Mataram.
Chatterjee has sought an unconditional apology from Sonia Gandhi, saying that he wrote as "an ordinary citizen, a patriot" and a descendant of the song's author.
Amit Shah Attacks Sonia Gandhi
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also launched a sharp attack on Sonia Gandhi over the controversy on Sunday, saying that the nation would not forgive her for 'insulting' the national song.
Addressing a public rally in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh, Shah said, "Look at their shamelessness. The national anthem 'Vande Mataram' was being sung at the Congress party headquarters. During the rendition, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi asked the Congress president to stop the song. We all just kept watching on TV. Sonia ji, 1.4 billion people are watching you. The people of this country will never forgive the sin you have committed. How could anyone even dream of leaving the song 'Vande Mataram' incomplete? The Congress people should be ashamed."
ALSO READ: Did Sonia Gandhi Object To Full Version Of Vande Mataram On I-Day? Congress Clarifies
The BJP's continued attacks have put the Congress on the defensive over the issue, while Monday's rendition in Goa has given the party an opportunity to counter the allegations and underline its position on Vande Mataram.