New Delhi, August 16: A controversy erupted following the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Congress headquarters, sparked by a video that surfaced online. The footage shows senior Congress leaders engaged in conversation while the national song “Vande Mataram” was being played.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sharply criticized Congress over this incident, demanding an apology from the party. In response, Congress has dismissed allegations of intentional disrespect.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shared a video on social media platform X, highlighting a moment of conversation between Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi during the alleged disrespect of “Vande Mataram.” He stated, “Now the country can decide; for me, remaining silent is the best option.”
The video, reportedly recorded at Indira Bhawan, features Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Sonia Gandhi conversing and gesturing during the national song. They are also seen calling over a party worker to give instructions.
In the English subtitles of the video, Rahul Gandhi is allegedly heard saying, “We don’t need to sing. We don’t need to sing ‘Vande Mataram.’ This is our own version.” The subtitles conclude with, “We are singing our song here.”
The BJP has labeled this incident as an affront to the national anthem and has reiterated its demand for a public apology from Congress.
In a media interaction, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi noted that this was the first Independence Day when “Vande Mataram” was sung in full, without interruptions. He reminded that the proceedings of the first Constituent Assembly of independent India began with the singing of “Vande Mataram,” as the national anthem had not yet been formally adopted.
Trivedi criticized the Congress leadership, stating, “We witnessed a regrettable scene where Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge were not in a state of attention during the national song. They were conversing, commenting, and calling others over. This reflects Congress’s disrespect towards ‘Vande Mataram.'”
However, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh refuted these claims, asserting that there was no attempt to stop or disrupt the singing of the national song. Congress maintains that the conversation among leaders cannot be construed as intentional disrespect.
This incident has ignited a fierce political exchange between the two parties. The BJP is portraying it as an example of Congress’s alleged indifference towards national symbols, while Congress describes the accusations as politically motivated.
The full context of the conversation among the leaders remains a topic of discussion following the video’s release.
Leave a Comment