‘Extreme policy of appeasement’: Amit Shah attacks Congress over Vande Mataram

This comes after the Congress Working Committee (CWC), at its meeting on Wednesday (Aug 19), decided to follow the party’s 1937 resolution on the national song and sing only its first two stanzas. The decision has triggered a political clash between the BJP and Congress, with the song becoming the latest flashpoint between the two parties.

Speaking to ANI, Shah linked the 1937 decision to the events that eventually led to Partition, alleging that the Congress had divided Vande Mataram “for Muslim appeasement”.

“From there, the two-nation theory gained strength and eventually, the country was partitioned and Pakistan was born,” Shah said.

He argued that the Narendra Modi government had sought to correct what he called a historical mistake by promoting the complete rendition of Vande Mataram. Shah also accused Congress of ignoring what he termed the legal position on the song.

“Today, the Congress party is accepting its party resolution of 1937 and rejecting the Act of Parliament,” he said, urging people to oppose the Congress stand.

The Congress, however, has hit back strongly. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the BJP and RSS’s contribution to India’s freedom struggle while responding to Shah’s criticism.

“When I became an MLA, Amit Shah was not even born yet,” Kharge said, before asking, “Which BJP man fought for the freedom of this country? Which RSS man fought for the freedom of this country?”

The dispute follows BJP criticism of Kharge and Congress parliamentary chairperson Sonia Gandhi over their alleged conversation during Vande Mataram at an Independence Day event on August 15.

Congress MP KC Venugopal defended the CWC decision, saying the party would adhere to the positions taken by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1937.